The Life and Times of Vivian Potter
by VivyPotter
Summary: After a terrible life full of misery and pain, Vivian Potter wakes up... only to find she has to do it all over again. This time, she'll take her fate into her own hands (with a little help from a goddess.) WrongBWL, Potters!Bashing, Dumble!Bashing
1. Reflection

**A.N. FOR THOSE WHO THINK THIS IS PART OF MY OTHER SERIES OF ONESHOTS ABOUT VIVIAN POTTER BEING LOKI'S WIFE... IT'S NOT!**

**Hello everyone! I hope you're not expecting regular updates of this story as… sorry, but you won't be getting them. I have a hell of a lot of homework, and I get writers block frequently. However, I will try to make my writing the best quality I possibly can. Please feel free to POLITELY remind me to update, as sometimes I get caught up in reading the wonderful fanfictions that this site has to offer.**

**CHARACTERS WILL BE OOC! BE WARNED. Dumbledore will be evil…ish, Ron will be a jerk a Hermione will be an annoying know it all.**

**I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON OR HARRY POTTER, other otherwise Harry and Hermione would have SO got together!**

* * *

Life wasn't fair.

Vivian Potter knew that.

She had known that at two when the only person to remember her birthday was Millie the house elf.

She had known that at three when Millie had been dismissed for fraternising with 'that girl'.

She had known that when at four she had memorized the encyclopaedia of charms only to have her mother slap her for being special.

She had known that at five when her father had regaled her with tirades about how stupid, useless and pathetic she was, and then told her brother, Harry, that he loved him in front of her.

She had known that at six when she first practised wandless magic and found the rush of power so _liberating_… only to freeze up in terror the first time she tried to use it on her family.

She had known that at seven when her father had first abandoned her in a nearby town, and then sworn when she found her way back to the Potter home.

She had known that at nine when her mother had first fired the majority of the house elves and set Vivian to work, whilst she read her brother a story.

She had known that at ten when she had had first learn how to turn off her emotions, only to have her mother insult her 'dead eyes'.

She had known that at eleven when she had been sorted into Ravenclaw, losing the only chance she'd ever had of her parents accepting her.

She had known that at twelve when she had performed a sixth year spell, only to have her brother complimented for making his match silver.

She had forgotten that very briefly at thirteen when she had made her first friend in a vague younger girl, Luna.

She had remembered that at thirteen when her companionship had directed her own bullies towards the quirky blond.

She had been reminded about that at thirteen when her brother had spread rumours about her being the heir of Slytherin, which resulted in two weeks in the hospital wing where even Madam Pomfrey was disgusted by her.

She had known that at fourteen when she had finally reported her abuse to Dumbledore and he had simply smiled, patted her on the head and walked away.

She had known that at fifteen when her name was drawn from the triwizard tournament and she had been faced with three angry schools.

She had been assured of that when she had been portkeyed to a graveyard, tried to smash her way through an anti-apparition ward, been knocked out, had her blood taken, and been able to get around the ward, only to return to Hogwarts to find her parents fussing over Harry's lost owl.

She had known that at sixteen when her parents had tried to perform a ritual to transfer her power to Harry, only to drive Harry into a three month long coma whilst she spent time away from the house involuntarily.

She had known that at sixteen when her only friend had been transferred to Salem after her father discovered the severity of her bullying.

And she had been certain of that fact when she stared into the eyes of Lord Voldemort, faced with the knowledge that _she_ was the real chosen one, only to glance over at her parents and see nothing but loathing in their eyes. And with that, the last flame of hope that Vivian Potter had been nursing since she was a babe, died.

And with a flash of green light, so did Vivian Potter.


	2. The End Of Lord Voldemort

Albus Dumbledore believed he knew the whole prophecy regarding the Dark Lord's vanquishing. After all, he had been there for its occurrence. _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to a parent who has thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."_ Of course this child would have to be the Dark Lord's equal, so they would have to be male. It never crossed his mind that the prophecy child could be a _girl_, after all, in his mind: girls were weak. He should have said that to the face of Clarisse La Rue. His crooked nose might have been broken once more.

Albus Dumbledore immediately gave himself the role of Supreme Leader of the light and departed to the Ring of Fire, more specifically Hawaii, where he forcefully bonded a newly hatched phoenix to his person, and hurried off to make preparations.

However, what Albus Dumbledore didn't hear, was the second part to the prophecy that occurred in that same small room, from the same poor frail woman an hour later. He didn't hear the momentous words that narrowed the prophecy down to a half blood girl born- or created- just minutes later, on the 31st of June, 1979, half- sister to a brother born exactly a year later. He didn't hear the words that would shape the world years later: _Born of godly parent one… and magical mother… half in all ways… shunned by kin… accepted by siblings…or the world shall burn…_

He never saw the new prophecy globe formed right next to part one.

Oh, what a fool Albus Dumbledore was.

* * *

**_HALLOWEEN_**

Lord Voldemort stalked down the streets of Little Whinging, towards number 4, Privet Drive, where Vivian and Harry Potter were sleeping under the watchful eyes of their aunt and uncle. As he blasted open the door, he spotted their uncle cowering in the doorway. He raised his wand and killed the man with a simple summoning charm, ripping his heart out of his chest. The man collapsed to the floor, twitching violently, and Voldemort dropped the pulsing organ in his hand to the floor. He made his way up the stairs, and opened a door. He stepped into a bedroom, and scoffed as he saw a blond-haired, screaming child. He moved deliberately across the room, and using his magic to amplify his strength, he pressed a finger onto the child's chest. The ribs caved in, and the boy died reasonably quickly, a rib having pierced his lungs. Voldemort left, an icy smile of victory on his face, when he heard a scream. Obviously the mother had heard her child's cries. He saw a figure dart across the hallway, out of a bedroom and into another. He took his time gliding across the landing, and blasting open the door that had been uselessly barricaded. He stepped in and ordered the muggle women to move aside. He wanted the woman to be there for the babies' deaths. Maybe he'd imperious her and have some fun.

'Move aside,' he ordered coldly.

'No please!' she begged, attempting to shield the infants with her slight form.

'I might let you live,' he offered, his rage growing. Who was she to deny him anything?

'No. Not Vivian, not Harry!' she begged.

'_Avada Kedavra_!' he cast the curse and it hit her square in the chest. She had been brave- for a muggle- and that deserved a painless death. She crumpled to the ground, and her head thudded lifelessly on the floor. Voldemort smirked at the corpse and stepped over it. He looked at the two infants- which was a greater threat? He noted the irritatingly innocent way that the young boy was staring at him, but as Voldemort raised his wand, the boy burst into tears. Voldemort saw that only one of the two cried. The other, the girl- Vivian?- simply stared at him like she was daring him to kill her. He felt small and insignificant under her glare, which was ridiculous! He was the Dark Lord, and she was merely a child. He muttered the words that would finish the insolent girl, and waved his wand appropriately.

The spell hit the girl and rebounded, striking Voldemort directly in the chest. He flew backwards and bellowed, causing the whole house to explode. Voldemort vaguely saw the girl raise a chubby hand and splay her fingers, creating a shield of air that defended her and her brother from the bits of glass and brick flying everywhere. Considering it was magic that no infant should ever have been able to achieve, it was a weak defence, and a piece of jagged glass wormed its way through her shield, and dashed the boy's forehead. With his last breath Voldemort cast a dark spell, ensuring that the boy's scar would never leave him. The wizarding world would assume that the scar was from the Dark Lord's killing curse, and they would never know that it was really the girl who had defeated him, or the great power that she held. She would not be trained to defeat him, or be raised with any knowledge of her destiny. When he returned, she would be unprepared, and he would finally destroy her. He would be invincible! Then Voldemort crumbled into dust, leaving the children's hysterical parents to come back to what looked like a bombsite, and find their children sitting in the middle of it all. Harry was crying uncontrollably. Vivian was looking quite calmly at a smouldering pile of ashes, formerly known as Lord Voldemort.


	3. Close Encounters Of A Godly Type

Waking up was not a pleasant experience. Her head pounded, her ears were all fuzzy and there was a sour taste lingering in the back of her mouth. Vivian wondered if it was the taste of the killing curse. Whatever it was, it was unpleasant. She groggily opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. She looked around. She was in a forest, but everything was white, like a world without colour. "Hello?" she called out, hating the way that she sounded, so weak and alone.

"Hello, my dear," someone said from behind her, and Vivian leapt up and turned on her heel, ready in a defensive stance.

"Oh, my poor child," and suddenly Vivian felt body being encircled by a pair of plump, strong arms. She blasted the lady away from her and curled up on the floor, sobbing quietly. Echoes of 'Freak' and 'Demon' flashed through her mind along with the memories of lonely nights spent out in the cold.

"Oh," the unknown woman cooed, not at all angry at Vivian for her attack. The women knelt to the floor beside her, gather Vivian to her chest and began crooning softly, rocking her back and forward whilst crooning comforting nonsense. Vivian sniffed and snuggled into her chest, before realising what she was doing and struggling out of the lady's grip. She was seventeen, for heaven's sake! She rubbed the tears from her red eyes defiantly and demanded, "Who are you?"

"You just died alone, betrayed by your family, and now you're demanding things from a god! I chose well! Oh, raised properly you'll do nicely to save my world."

"I'm not the saviour. Harry is." Vivian narrowed her eyes. "Hang on; god?"

"Indeed. I'm Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic." She declared and got up, pulling Vivian to her feet. "And you're my champion."

"Champion. Of what?" Vivian asked.

"Why me, of course! My representative in the mortal world. And of course, the saviour of the Wizarding people, too."

"Why should I save them?" The red-haired girl asked, not feeling entirely charitable towards any magical person at the moment, especially not this Hecate. If she was so powerful, and if Vivian was so important, why didn't she just save her? Save her from getting beaten every day?

"There are laws against it." Hecate explained gently, her brown eyes soft. "I can read your thoughts." she added after Vivian looked at her strangely after she answered an unasked question.

Suddenly Vivian felt the bubble of anger that she had been suppressing for so long swell and burst. "SCREW THE LAWS!" she bellowed. "I WAS A CHILD! I NEEDED HELP! HELP _YOU_ COULD HAVE GIVEN-!" she broke into a sob and she buried her face in her hands. "I needed someone to save me." She whispered through her fingers.

"Oh my sweet child." Hecate smiled sadly. She held out a hand towards Vivian. "Walk with me, and let me explain."

* * *

"There are laws against gods interfering with mortal affairs. I tried to help, I kept away some of the bullies at the park you used to play in, but I couldn't do any more. But now you're here, I can finally put my plans into action."

"Why _am_ I here?" Vivian asked, looking around at the pine trees surrounding them. The sky was a blank canvas too, and she found she missed the warmth of the sun.

"Well, Thanatos, the god of death, owed me a few favours and I used them to get him to agree to send your soul back to the beginning. We get a short break in between though and here we are! He has a soft spot for you, anyway. He calls you 'the good brother's descendant'.

"You said I'm the real saviour. Explain." Vivian's attitude had warmed somewhat towards this woman, but she seemed to have far too many convenient excuses. Mostly she hated the way she called her 'child'.

"Voldemort, or Tom Riddle to use his real name, that abomination of magic, really failed to kill _you_ that night. Your aunt's sacrifice- old magic, don't ask- was boosted by your magical power and godly blood. If it had been cast at Harry, he would have died.

"You see, I gave my blessing to a group of Aztecs. But this wasn't a normal blessing, it was a blood blessing, meaning the magical power was in their blood, becoming a gene, and able to be inherited. When those Aztecs had children, the magic was passed on, but weakened very, very slightly. This continued and they bred with people all over the world, until magic was everywhere, but hidden from the eyes of mortals, or muggles, as wizards like to call them,"' she rolled her eyes at the crude term. "They're usually just people with the magical gene dormant. There are only one in 500 supposed 'muggles' who are actually completely non magical, and without a drop of magical blood in them. This means that witches and wizards can never be born from this line, ever, unless they breed with those that have the magical gene. This means that real non-magicals are dying out. This means that very few muggleborns actually have a 'muggle' for a parent. Honestly, the magical attitude towards new things these days is appalling.

"Since you are related to me through blood from your godly parent, and you receive my blessing through your witch mother, you are much more powerful than the average witch or wizard, and can read English and Ancient Greek with a little difficulty, and do not have dyslexia, although you do have ADHD. This is what I meant about you being more powerful, so the sacrifice was boosted." Hecate finally finished at looked at Vivian expectantly.

"What do you mean my godly parent!?"

"You're the child of Lily Potter and Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy."

"I have two biological mothers? How does that work?" She didn't really mind that she wasn't the biological child of James Potter, that was one less parent for her to have to be embarrassed about being related too.

"'Athena doesn't actually need to participate in sexual activities to have a child, or even for one party to give birth. She bonds her mind with that of the other parent, and the baby appears. You were carried down from Olympus in a golden cradle by Zephr the West Wind to the Potter's doorstep. James and Lily Potter adopted you, making you a Potter instead of an Evans. It was to prevent rumours about an illegitimate child of Lily Potter. They forged adoption papers and James Potter blood-adopted you, making you the Potter heir."

"So, that's why they never loved me."

Hecate spent the rest of the while they had left teaching her about the mythical world and the magic found in it.

"'For some reason a few spells don't work on monsters. Some monsters are magically resistant to direct spells, so you have to use magic to effect the environment around them to defeat them, like a Reducto at a stone wall. Then there are three spells that don't work on monsters or Gods or Titans or demigods at all: the Unforgivables."

"I wouldn't use them anyway! They're illegal dark spells." Vivian exclaimed, dutifully repeating the words she'd heard from her parents many times, no matter how much they made her want to wash her mouth out with soap.

"That's ridiculous. There's no such things as dark spells. Anything can be dangerous, and anything can be used to help people. Magic is just a tool, it's the intent you use them with that makes them dark. For example, Imperio is a spell used to take away your free will, make you a puppet. But if you're stuck in a burning building, having a panic attack, someone performing that spell on you and getting you out could save your life. If you're going to commit suicide it can be used to stop you. Crucio can be used like shock therapy. Avada Kadavra is the killing curse. No pain, a completely quick death. It was invented for killing animals painlessly and without mess. Killing animals, of course, meant people could eat. Therefore survival. I didn't create a world for it to destroy itself. That's why I need you to save it and lead it into a new age."

"How?" asked Vivian.

"I'll contact you in dreams later on."

* * *

"Why can't I practise big spells until I'm 8 or 9?" Vivian complained. She knew she sounded like a child, but she missed the feel of a powerful spell as it engulfed her in its warmth, the invigorating rush she felt after she'd finished.

"Every wizard and witch has a magic core. It's their magical store. It's difficult to explain. Your magical core grows stronger as you grow older. You were strong enough to do large acts of magic when you were older because your core had grown, but if you the same when you're younger, your core won't be able to cope with the strain because it"s not old or developed enough. It might permanently damage your core, leaving you with a permanent disability! I cannot stress how important this is, child! But you can make sure you are as powerful as you can possibly be when you are old if you constantly build up your your core from a younger age with small spells. You're magical core is like a muscle, it needs to be exercised to keep it in tip top condition and a strong as it can be. That's why I'm afraid to say that so called 'Purebloods' are usually magically stronger than 'Halfbloods' and 'Muggleborns'. Purebloods use magic for everything, whilst non magically raised children tend to go for a more hands on approach, at least when they're younger. they're also not allowed to use magic over 6 weeks of the year whilst 'Purebloods' are. Another biased law that you're going to have to fix, child. "

* * *

"If magic got weaker throughout the years, how come the founders were so powerful? They created _Hogwarts_ in 990 AD, and that place is so powerful I could _feel_ the magic." Vivian asked curiously. Her and Hecate had gotten closer, and Vivian thought of her as a kind of aunt, not that she'd had one before. Sometimes she wished that Hecate was her mother, not Athena, but she never voiced those wishes.

"I liked their vision, and so I blessed them. It wasn't a blood blessing though, and they weren't children of god's, so they weren't as powerful as you, child." Hecate lifted a finger and her eyes widened. "Ah! That reminds me. Your mother was very pleased at your sorting. She was glad to see that you valued intelligence as much as her."

"Oh don't get me started on the sorting!" Vivian growled. It was the most emotion she'd shown since she met Hecate. "First, the sorting hat, which you wear and it looks inside your head. Which is silly really, because when you think about it: a hat is just a hat, even when it"s enchanted. Does it really have the ability to discern between emotions if it hasn't got any itself? And, if it has a personality, isn't forcing it to sing songs and sort through the minds of eleven year olds every year without fail slavery? It's not as if it can escape, it's a hat. And I doubt that Dumbledore would listen to any complaints it voiced." Vivian growled at the memory of Dumbledore patting her on the head and waving her off after she divulged one of her darkest secrets to him ". Also, it being a hat and not a person, means that it is completely vulnerable to any manipulations or opinions the headmaster might have, seeing as Dumbledore can just alter the enchantment set upon the hat. Plus, if Hogwarts was to be attacked, how could a hat defend the castle or itself? It would just sit there. It would make much more sense to have a sorting suit of armour, or even better: a _person_. How can a defenceless object be trusted to keep the secrets found in almost every British mind for generations? And if you don't think a person can be trusted, an enchanted object can be trusted even less. 'Never trust something if you can't see where it puts its brains.' That"s what Molly Weasley used to say when she came over to the mansion with Ronald.

"I can also think of a lot more problems with being sorted into personality groups and staying there for 7 years. First off: staying with people exactly the same as you? Boring! Number two: how are you meant to get rid of your flaws if the people around possess exactly the same ones? Number _tres_: Being in a group with the same views as you enforces them, and makes you a terribly close minded person, which is awful for debating and seeing things from others points of view, which means poor social skills in later life, and the starting of wars. This also means that opinions will never change. Number four: this encourages house rivalry. Number five: No child has their personalities set at 11! Number six- this one is purely practical-: this means poor distribution of students between houses. Did you know in 1832, there were no Hufflepuff first years. _At all?" _At the end of the rant, Vivian was bright red and her eyes were suspiciously watery.

She could empathize with the Hufflepuffs, as she knew how it felt to be unwanted, underestimated and just pure disrespected. Even Luna had once given in to the temptation to call her a useless witch after a particularly vicious hour of bullying. Vivian had frozen up and she hadn't lifted a finger to help Luna, just stood there with glazed eyes staring into nothing. She had plucked the image of a nargle from Luna's mind and conjured it permanently, giving it to Luna for her to keep as a pet just to prove her wrong. That was also the only time that Luna had cried. Tears of joy, of course. She had named the nargle Barry and asked Viv to create a Moon Frog, a silvery frog with a green moustache that gave people watery eyes and then drank their tears.

* * *

"Goodbye." Hecate gave her a hug, and Vivian closed her eyes, savouring the warm gesture. It was what she had always imagined a mother's hug would be like. "And child?"

"Yes?"

"Please to try to open up. You're not cursed." Hecate smiled, and the white world that Vivian Potter had spent several days in, melted away.

* * *

Vivian Potter opened her eyes only to find herself staring into the ruby red eyes of Lord Voldemort once again. _Gods Dammit_, she thought.


	4. Departure For A New Life

**_5 YEARS LATER…_**

Vivian sat in her lonely cabin at the bottom of the Potter's huge garden, and reflected on her life.

It had been interesting to see what life was like when she was younger. Most of her childhood was a blur; she supposed she had repressed it. Painful memories and all that. The only thing she could really recall was that the really terrible emotional abuse and neglect had really kicked off when she was around seven. So she decided that was when she was going to leave to seek out Camp Half-Blood. It made no sense for her to go out into the world now and have to defend herself against monsters at three years of age. Anyway, she'd had to get used to having tiny limbs again. As a baby, she'd kept falling over because of the weakness of her legs. She'd expected it to be easy to move around again, and she'd be moving around as soon as she was born (which she was most definitely glad that she did _not_ remember), but it seemed that life was determined to throw at obstacle in front of her at every turn.

When her parents had taken the two to Dumbledore, he had immediately identified Harry's scar as the echo of dark magic, and he was raised as the Boy-Who-Lived. Her parent changed his name to Godric, a much more proper title for the saviour of the Wizarding world. Vivian was certain her bratty little brother didn't deserve the name of the Gryffindor founder, and refused to call his that, referring to him as "Harry" only, even in her mind. Vivian shuddered at the thought of what sort of name they would've given her if they found out it was really she who had vanquished the Dark Lord that night. Rowena or Helga most likely. Hideous. Not that there was anything wrong with the women, but she didn't fancy being named after a dead person.

She practised magic in the woods privately. Vivian knew it was no use trying to persuade her parents (or parent, as she now knew) to try and watch; she'd probably get punished for being better than "Godric". She could feel her magic strength grow as she exercised it.

Just as she'd remembered, her dear half-brother thrived on the attention of the wizarding world, and so did her parents. They were out then, trying to be spotted by the press. If she stayed, she'd probably hear them on the Wizarding radio tonight. After all, yesterday was Harry's birthday. People seemed to forget that was her special day too, but people generally preferred to forget she existed.

Vivian stared intently at the backpack sitting on the floor next to her. It was magically expanded and contained her whole wardrobe (which wasn't much), a torch, drachmas which she'd found in a well in the woods, pounds and galleons and food with stasis charms cast on it. She was anything if not practical. She moved towards a small mirror and gazed at her reflection. She was wearing an over-sized army jacket with a warming charm on it that should keep her nice and toasty, and jeans that she'd she'd shrunk. She grabbed a knife to defend herself, along with a staff she had carved out of the elm trees found on the edge of Potter property, and made her way out of the cabin.

**I have updated and edited chapters 2, 3 and 4.**


	5. The Younger Sister

**I will be muddling up the timelines a bit.**

**The Harry Potter universe will be moved forwards quite a few years, so it is set in modern times, and around Percy Jackson's time.**

**Annabeth is six when she runs away, and they ****simply spend an extra year on the run. She is a year younger than Vivian, so Vivian will be thirteen in the events of the Lightening thief, and 17 in the Last Olympian (always a year older than Percy.)**

**Vivian is exactly a year older than Harry, so in the events of the Lightening Thief, the events of the Chamber of Secrets is happening. By the time the Last Olympian is over, the events of Half Blood Prince are happening. **

**Basically, Annabeth and Percy are the same age as Harry Potter, and Viv is a year older than them. **

**Thalia is still twelve when she and Annabeth meet, and Luke is fourteen.**

* * *

**_1 MONTH LATER…_**

The storm blew fiercely, and a small figure limped through the dark and wet alleyways, pursued by a snarling Sphinx. Vivian looked left and right for a place to hide, and spotted a wet upside down cardboard box. She threw herself towards it, lifting up one of the sides swiftly, only to discover a small, huddling girl curled up in a ball, whimpering. She had tangled blonde hair and wide grey eyes, and was dressed in pyjamas. Vivian paused for a moment, and then hid beside her, ignoring her trembling. She placed the cardboard box down over them carefully, and put a finger up to her lips. "Shh, they"re coming this way," she told the girl sternly. At this the girl unstiffened and looked at her, "Monsters come after you too?" she asked hopefully.

"Mm hm," Vivian told her shortly.

"Me too! What"s your name? Mine's Annabeth."

"Vivian."

Annabeth giggled, "Are you British?"

"Yes," Vivian said, frowning.

"How did you get to America?" Annabeth questioned.

"Magic." Vivian told her dryly. She didn't like to trust people.

"Really!?" Annabeth asked excitedly. Viv was about to answer with a cold 'no' when she heard a motherly voice fill her head.

_'Trust her, child, she is your sister."_

"I'm a witch." Vivian said reluctantly.

"Really?" Annabeth gasped, her eyes wide. "Can you make potions and cast spells?"

"It's not really as hocus-pocus as that, but yes."

"Cool." Annabeth said sadly.

"What's the matter?" Vivian asked stiffly, remembering that was the correct question to ask. Then again, a friendship with Luna probably wasn't the best thing to base all social interactions on.

"I wish I had powers." Annabeth mumbled, fiddling with the edge of her ratty t-shirt.

Vivian felt awful. She knew this girl was her sister, although probably half-sister, but still she felt no connection to her except a sort of weary obligation to look after her. She supposed it had been drilled into her head that she was to treasure every moment of love and kindness and here was a girl who would look up to her, maybe even love her…

"Come on," Vivian sighed, and held her hand out. The girl, Vivian guessed she was about a year younger than her, looked at it. Then she looked at Vivian, so calculatingly, yet with a hint of desperation and foolish hope. Vivian's heart was lost; she saw that look whenever she looked in the mirror.

Annabeth took her hand, and they disappeared into the night.


	6. And Then Two Became Four

**I've changed it. Vivian was no longer viciously abused physically, but neglected and ignored and emotionally abused. I'm sorry, I have no clue how a physically abused person would react, and the way I think** **they would be, clashes awfully with the image of Vivian in my head.**

**Some characters with be OOC, because that's how I see them, and I think some characters' personalities would be affected by Vivian's presence. Like, Annabeth wouldn't be as independent, Luke wouldn't be as friendly and Thalia wouldn't be as aggressive. So don't complain, because this is a ****fanfiction****. I can write these characters how I like.**

* * *

**_1 MONTH LATER…_**

**_LUKE'S POV_**

Me and Thalia crept down and an alley way between red-brick warehouses, and I glanced up to read the sign above one of the doors: RICHMOND IRON WORKS. I got a prickling on the back of my neck, and stared into the inky blackness of the alleyway. I was certain there was someone there.

"Down there. Someone's watching us," I inclined my head towards the direction I'd been staring at.

"Are you sure?" Thalia asked anxiously.

I nodded stubbornly, "Someones's down there. I can tell." There was a faint crack from the alleyway and a hissed "shhh," and then a rumble like someone banging into a sheet of metal. We approached some old crates by the loading dock. A sheet of corrugated iron shifted slightly. Thalia glanced at me, and I mouthed a silent countdown from one to three. I leapt forwards and ripped the metal away, revealing two little girls. The blonde one in an oversized coat flew at me, brandishing a hammer. "Woah!" I shouted. I acted purely on instinct, and grabbed her hand, making her drop the weapon. The little girl held tightly in my grip struggled and kicked with all her might, she couldn't have been more than 6. Her red-headed friend with calm grey eyes and the tatty rucksack on her back stepped forwards. She wasn't carrying a weapon, but she just radiated danger and her voice was collected and calm, though slightly tense. "Put. Her. Down." The little blonde girl in my grip relaxed and smiled adoringly at the red-head, who smiled back slightly awkwardly, but I could tell it was meant to be reassuringly and it seemed to work on the blond.

Thalia had snuck up behind the little girl and grabbed her wrist. The red-head visibly flinched, but she wiggled a finger and her skin suddenly glowed red hot. Thalia yelped and stumbled back, releasing her hold on the small girl, cursing and wincing as she nursed her burnt hand. I raised my weapon, but the little red-head raised her hand and my sword felt heavy in my grip, and I could tell Thalia was facing a similar predicament.

"Lun- Annabeth: NOW!" The blonde, still in my hold, laughed and kicked me right where it hurt the most. I squeaked and sank to the floor.

"No more monsters! Viv will protect me!" the little blonde declared and I realised why they'd reacted that way.

"We're not monsters! We won't hurt you!" I explained quickly. The red-head- 'Viv', I assumed- was panting and had her hands on her knees. Annabeth ran over to her and started hugging her, murmuring, "You're not too tired? It didn't use up too much-" she paused and glanced over at me and Thalia, "…stuff?"

"No, Annie." Viv told Annie in a flat voice, and patted her back stiffly. Then she turned to glare at me, controlled fury simmering in her grey eyes. "You already did hurt her." The red-head growled, and gestured to the Annie's wrist, which was blooming a bright red.

"Sorry." I apologised, but I wasn't really. I'd just been protecting myself, after all. The red-haired girl moved over to Thalia and I went to get up, but the blond kicked me hard in the shin, so I stayed down. The red-head crouched down over Thalia and looked straight into her eyes. Thalia gasped and I didn't really understand why. "It's like she read my soul." Thalia breathed softly, and I had no idea what she meant.

"I trust _her_." Viv said, sharply nodding at Thalia. Then she turned her hard gaze on me. "Not so much _him_."

'Annie' nodded, grinned at Thalia happily as soon as Viv gave her seal of approval, but eying me suspiciously. I had no idea what I had done wrong. Annabeth reluctantly let me stand, and I rubbed my… downstairs area.

"You can trust him." Thalia assured Viv.

"No one can be trusted completely," Viv said with cynicism that didn't belong in a seven year old.

"Where's your family?" I asked quietly.

"My family hates me. So did Viv's," Viv glared at her for giving away that piece of information, and I could relate to not wanting anyone to know my history, "We ran away she's my…" Annabeth trailed off uncertainly.

"Sister." Viv said with a softness that hadn't been in her eyes before.

"What are your names?" asked Thalia sympathetically.

"Vivian… Chase." Her eyes seemed to lighten at the name, and for a moment I could see the trusting 7 year old that I was sure was in there somewhere.

"Annabeth Chase." Annie said with none of Vivian's uncertainty. In fact, she seemed to be buzzing with excitement.

"Thalia."

"Thalia Grace." Vivian correctly harshly.

"How did you know?" Thalia whispered, her face paling.

"Magic." Vivian smiled mischievously, the most emotion I'd seen on her face the whole time I'd known her, which wasn't that long, granted.

I interrupted what I was sure what would turn ugly. "Tell you what girls, Annabeth- you're pretty fierce, and Vivian- you're just deadly! We could use fighters like you."

"You could?" Annabeth asked with wide eyes.

"Definitely." With these two we'd be unstoppable. Vivian gave me a look that made me uncomfortable, and gave me the feeling that she could see my reasoning. For a moment I reconsidered. I made a decision, and held out a knife to each of them. "Knives are only for the bravest and the quickest fighters. They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemies armour. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife, and I've got a feeling you're both pretty clever."

Annabeth looked up at me sweetly and said, "I am!" Vivian just stared at her knife untrustingly and said, "I'll do without."

I shifted slightly on my feet, and put the knife away awkwardly. "We'd better getting going. We've got a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some new clothes and food."

"You're not going to take us back to our families?" Annabeth questioned, and I had a feeling that she would have stuttered if not for the red-head standing next to her, offering silent encouragement. I put my hand on both of their shoulders, but swiftly removed the one on Vivian's shoulder when she gave it a look of disgust. "You're part of our family now. And I promise I won't let anything hurt you. I'm not going to fail you like our families did to us. Deal?"

"Viv?" asked Annabeth, looking to her sister for approval.

"I don't trust him. But we have no choice." Viv swayed on her feet and all of a sudden, I realised how weary she looked. Her face was steadily draining of colour and she looked so vunerable. As if she'd heard my thoughts, she glared at me and straightened up, her nose high in the air. But then she sank to the ground, hair fanning around her head like a halo. Annabeth gasped and hurried to her side. "I'll be fine, Annie. My resources have just been exhausted. I'll need to recharge. You know what to do." Then her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she was asleep.

"Don't let the nargles bite." Annabeth sang innocently in the way that only a small child can, and checked Viv's pulse. "She's just tired." Annie said.

"From what?" Thalia scoffed disbelievingly.

"Using magic." Annabeth said quite seriously, gazing up at us with big, grey eyes. "She can't apparate us now. We'll have to walk."

"Apparate?" I asked curiously.

"Disappearing from one place and appearing from another." She said impatiently. "Now help her!"

"I'll carry her." I sighed, scooping up the girl, marvelling at her light weight. I couldn't help but notice when her shirt rolled up that her ribs showed and there was the odd purple bruise her and there. The slight hostile feeling I'd been having due to her opinion of me disappeared.

"Now come on, we can't stay for long!" Thalia said.

Then we set off. Vivian's wave of red hair tumbling over my arm, Thalia holding a knife, and Annabeth marching ahead determinedly.

We made an odd sight.


	7. And Then There Were Five

**So sorry for not updating sooner, but this whole weekend has just been one big emotional 'EURGH!', and I've been feeling a little depressed. Plus, I had a complete blank in my mind about the meeting between Grover and the gang. I added in the crush at the last minute, it seemed fun. **

**So, on with the story!**

* * *

**_13 MONTHS LATER…_**

Meeting Grover had been hilarious. Well, for Annabeth, anyway. They'd come across him chewing on a tin can nervously and muttering to himself, "I can do this. Daughter of Zeus? No big deal. What was it Aerie used to say- 'seekers are not scaredy goats.'" He continued repeating this, his jaw working furiously on the metal.

"Who are you?" Thalia demanded, the air around her crackling and the acidic smell of ozone making Vivian feel sick. She used a bit of her power to clear the air, feeling a slight drain in her strength. It wasn't too bad though, so she did the same for Annabeth, who gave her a grateful glance and began breathing through her nose again. Vivian merely glowered at Luke though. He could deal with it. She wasn't sure why, but she just had this feeling that he couldn't be trusted, and she _always _followed her feelings. Hecate had revealed that her 'instincts' were more accurate that she had once believed. She had a part of her magic would unconsciously scan the whole room and return the information it gathered to the back of her mind, where it became feelings. Apparently, as she grew older, it would develop. However, while she was young, it was a constant drain on her and gave her headaches, so she tried to rein it in. It was one of the reasons why she'd been weaker as a child; her physical strength was being fed to her magic as extra 'fuel', and she hadn't known how to control it. Usually the more powerful the magic-used, the more powerful the instincts. However, there were exceptions.

Luna had particularly strong sensory magic, which was why she was a little odd. It came from the Lovegood side of the family. When she was young, magic would send strong signals to her brain, but it wasn't developed enough to translate them. Her brain… 'overloaded', to use the term loosely, and compensated by sending images of creatures that weren't really there, sending her a little, well… cuckoo. Viv hadn't understood it before, when she was at Hogwarts. It was only from a few vague comments like "my brain was telling me too much", that inspired Viv to research it, where she found information buried deep in the Potter library. It seemed the Lovegoods descended from Potters, and there was information on it in the lower levels of the library, hidden in ancient texts. It had taken her months to find and cross-reference the details, and make sure of her findings. But now she was certain, and she would be able to stop people from calling Luna 'Loony' (even if it was technically true.)

"I-I-I'm Grover." He coughed nervously.

"Why were you talking about me?" Thalia growled.

"I w-was NOT!" he scoffed anxiously, looking anywhere but at the fuming girl in front of him.

"You were too!" Thalia insisted. "You specifically said 'daughter of Zeus'."

"Wait- what? You know? About it?" Grover shouted, and then yelped, clutching a hand to his mouth as if he was worried that a monster would just jump right out of the wall and attack.

"Well, when you have drakons coming after you trying to eat your face, and you shoot lightening out of your hands, you kinda guess that something's not right. Plus, witchy here confirmed it." Thalia shrugged, nodding at Vivian. Vivian was staring at Grover with a blank look on her face, although there was a faint twitch at the corner of her lips when she heard the nickname. Luke was quite unnerved by her expression. However, what he didn't know was that she was reaching out with her magic, trying to find his intentions. The only things that she had found of any real importance were loyalty and… a strong hunger. For enchiladas.

Grover took one good look at the girl Thalia had gestured towards, and blushed.

Vivian sighed. Lily Potter nee Evans had been descended from Sirens, and Vivian had inherited her looks. She was fairly perfect looking: wavy red hair, a small button nose that was slightly upturned at the tip, pink lips, stormy grey eyes identical to Annabeth's (although her's were colder and less innocent), pale skin and a generous spray of brown freckles across the bridge of her nose. She looked fairly identical to her mother, but she had a tall and broad-shouldered build (for a girl), in contrast to her mother's petite one. There were also, of course, her eyes, and her lips were thinner than Lily Potter's. Luna had always said Vivy looked like a warrior. The only things she had a problem with, and this had only become an issue when she got into her teens in her previous life, were her large breasts. She didn't like the way that they seemed to scream at every boy she'd ever met; 'LOOK AT ME!' and she knew if she grew up fighting in Camp Half Blood like she intended too, they would only become an inconvenience. She planned to reduce them with a spell when she got older and more experienced, but she had to deal until then, and maybe bind them when she got into her later teens. She dreaded when she got to 12 and puberty really began to hit. However, there was no way she was casting anything on her body until she was old enough to control her magic, and knew she had enough to complete the spell, so she would just have to grit her teeth.

Grover bleated weakly, his eyes wide as he stared at the vision of _perfection_ in front of him.

Vivian sighed again.

"Hang on," Thalia bellowed "Are you a _donkey_ or something?" She gestured toward his hairy legs, and the cloven hooves on the ends.

"A goat!" he protested, scrambling to his feet (or _hooves_) and striking a 'heroic' pose, with his fists on his hips and his chin in the air. Annabeth collapsed into giggled and Vivian hmmed, unimpressed. Grover shot her an embarrassed look, and immediately left the position, fiddling with the thick hair on his hips.

"So why where you following us?" asked Luke, speaking up for the first time.

"Oh, I was sent to bring… um… this one to camp." He pointed at Thalia.

"Camp Half Blood?" Vivian questioned interestedly, a rare sparkle coming into her eyes.

"Yeah!" Grover nodded enthusiastically. "That's the one."

"What's Camp Half Blood?" said Luke suspiciously.

"It's a… home, I guess, for Demigods. Like you." Grover struggled to find words to explain.

"It's safe." Vivian assured them shortly. "And you'll take us there."

"Oh, yeah, ok!" Grover agreed, straightening up. "Well, follow me."

"Sure thing goat boy." Thalia laughed.

"Hey!"


	8. Thalia's Final Stand

_**1 MONTH LATER**_

Vivian was stalking alongside Annabeth in the forest surrounded Camp Half-blood, shooting Luke suspicious glances and listening to the myths that Annie remembered about their goddess mother. Suddenly, Grover hurtled past her, screaming: "THE KINDLY ONES!" Vivian looked back and let out a soft scream (though she would later deny ever doing so) when she spotted the army of monsters. There were beings with twisted horns and nails sharped to points, there were creatures so horrifying they would give any mortal nightmares, just from getting a glimpse of their scale-covered tails. There were beast with thick shaggy fur and fangs dripping acidic saliva. There were women with snakes fir hair and huge towering giants with greyish skin. They were all led by the three wrinkly leather-skinned furies, fiery whips in hand, screeching, "DAUGHTER OF ZEUS! BREAKER OF OATHS! STYX WILL HAVE HER REVENGE!"

The five broke into a desperate sprint, , the trees whipping their faces and bare, uncovered skin. Vivian blasted trees out of the way, not noticing her steadily draining strength. She paid no attention to her decreasing speed,, her only thoughts being; _'Protect. Annabeth.'_ Annie grasped Viv's hand and pulled her along, her adrenaline-fueled energy knowing little bounds. Luke ran ahead, cutting down every branch that stood in his way, whilst

constantly looking back and checking they were still there. Grover galloped along, overtaking Luke a few times, but slowing his pace to let him catch up. Vivian had never been so grateful for his loyalty.

However, Grover tripped over a log and stumbled to the floor, bleating helplessly as he rubbed his swollen ankle. Thalia knelt by his side and ran her hand through her hair (a nervous habit). "Can't you do anything, Witchy?" she pleaded. Vivian bit her lip and Grover noticed, through a haze of pain, that she looked exactly like he imagined Aphrodite would.

"I don't even know how the ankle works. There's no way I could fix it." She cursed, then closed her eyes briefly and felt inside her magical core. She barely had any magic left, most of her energy had been used for destroying trees and she could see the path they'd made through the forest very clearly from here.

They heard a bloodcurdling roar from behind them, a roar that shook the very roots of the trees. The kindly ones hovering in the air backed off with matching smirks; smirks that promised gory, horrific and especially drawn out deaths. Luke grabbed Annabeth and Grover grabbed Vivian and they pulled them away from the huge shadow that was advancing upon the helpless four demigods and the satyr. Thalia stepped forward with a determined expression on her face and commanded, "GO!" The great beast didn't even shift. She then drew her sword, intentions clear. Annabeth threw herself forward, struggling against Luke's strong grip. "NO. NO. NO!" she cried, tears running down her face. Vivian had a pained expression on her face and her breath was ragged. _'She promised she'd protect Annabeth,'_ she thought wildly, _'… and me.'_

"I'll be fine, Witchy," Thalia promised shakily, no conviction in her tone and a watery smile on her face, "Now you run, okay? Run and don't look back. Luke, you got that? Don't you ever look back." She looked so tragically fierce that he could hardly disagree. "Got it," Luke sniffed, still holding a writhing Annabeth.

Thalia swung her sword at the huge Cyclops approaching, but he simply stepped back. It batted a ginormous, grubby hand, but Thalia ducked and stabbed her sword at the knee of the one-eyed monster. It groaned and clutched its kneecap, but pulled the offending shard of metal out and straightened back up. It swung its club at Thalia's head, but she held up her shield, _Aegis_, depicting the severed head of Medusa, to defend herself. The Cyclops pressed all of its weight onto the shield, and Thalia was forced to drop it, nursing a broken arm tenderly. She looked back at the group which was frozen in horror at the sight before them, and screamed one last desperate word: "RUN!" The Cyclops swung its club with all its strength and it smashed into Thalia's side, breaking several ribs and sending her flying into a tree. It was like a spell had been broken. The group of four turned and ran towards the entrance for camp, splashing through puddles and dodging tree branches.

Thalia laid dying, lungs punctured. She had fallen on her back, breaking her spine as well as her ribs. She stared up at the night sky, which was covered with a blanket of storm clouds. She rasped out a prayer, "Oh mighty Zeus, hear my… hear my prayer… father please!.. help them and protect… protect the camp…" She thought of Vivian's red hair and grey eyes, Annabeth's honey locks and round face, Luke's golden blonde mop and tan skin, even Grover, the stupid goat, and wished for their safety with all of her heart.

* * *

Her father watched her from the skies above. He signalled to a wood nymph and watched sadly as his daughter's hair and fingers twisted into roots, and from her torso sprouted a tall, proud pine tree. The wooden effect spread over her skin, hardening it and preserving Thalia's last breath, freezing her in time. She was alive, but at a cost. Then Zeus snapped his fingers and from Thalia's pine tree came a blue dome, a boundary to keep out those who would do harm to demigods. Thalia's last wishes were complete, and her friends were inside the protection. Zeus sighed and murmured, "My daughter, it is done." Then he turned his eyes from the scene, and walked away.


	9. Remembrance

**Hey guys! Sorry this is only short, but the next bit is quite long, and it'd be better if they were broken up. Anyway,I haven't thanked my wonderful followers! I won't list you all, as that would tell forever and a long time to scroll through, especially if you're reading on a phone or tablet. Every time I receive an email, I thank you all in my head, I've only just realized that I haven't done it in words. Whenever I see a review, my heart lifts. It is an absolute pleasure to read them, and it makes all the time I spend hidden in my room typing away completely worth it. SO, thank you all!**

**P.S. Please review!**

* * *

By a lone pine tree on a silent hill, a girl sat in quiet remembrance.

_._

_Vivian woke up screaming. She saw the images of students swimming before her eyes, laughing and jeering. They'd cast spells that caused her skin sear with hot pain, they'd aimed curses that made her scratch her arms raw because she saw visions of ants crawling all over them… she'd dreamt of her parents, their looks of hatred tormenting her. _'You'll never be loved, girl. You're an unwanted burden, a nuisance and a freak! And eventually everyone will realize that, no matter how long it takes. They'll always hate you.'_ The voices echoed in her head, and bounced off the walls of the concrete cellar that the group were taking shelter in. Vivian broke in tears. They were right! She was a freak Annabeth would realise that one day. Even Hecate! She had so much faith in her and she'd fail. She knew she would. She wasn't a saviour, she was a freak and an inconvenience and an anno-_

_"Witchy?" Thalia's groggy voice barely penetrated the thick blanket of panic that was suffocating Vivian. It was making her chest tighten, and her heart beat so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest. Her stomach was churning and she suspected she might be sick. Instead, she simply retched, her throat dry as she let out choked gasps._

_She felt a hand on her shoulder and instinctively she flinched. Her mind was cast back to the days when students would make that same gesture, only to spin her around to inflict some sort of new torture. "Witchy!" Thalia's whispered yell brought her back to the present abruptly and when she looked up into her concerned face she felt ashamed. How dare she show weakness! She tried to put her mask back in place, but it's hard to feign indifference with tears streaming down your face._

_"It's alright." Thalia pulled her into a comforting hug and rocked her back and forwards soothingly. _

_"Place don't tell anyone." Vivian's voice cracked._

_"I won't."_

_._

_Vivian was tired. She had been fighting for hours, and she was sweaty and her magic had nearly run out. She raised the pipe she had stolen to try and stab the two-headed dog in front of her, but it grasped the weapon with its teeth and ripped it out of her grasp. She stumbled back and landed on her shoulder, causing it to flare up in excruciating pain. The dog advanced, hackles raised and teeth bared whilst snapping and snarling. She glared defiantly into its red eyes- so like Voldemort's-, she would not be a coward in the face of death. But then Thalia came out of nowhere, sticking her sword in the beast's eye. It whimpered and backed away. Thalia following it and, almost _gently_, slid her blade across its throat. It crumbled away, leaving only a fang and a pile of golden dust. Thalia bent down to pick up the trophy, the she turned around and handed it to Viv. _

_"Here you go, Witchy."_

_Vivian's eyes lit up and she hesitantly took the tooth, her hands shaking slightly. No one except for Luna had ever given her a present, and she'd never received one so personal, not even from her vague friend. _

_"I'll keep it forever," she promised solemnly, a rare gratitude in her voice._

_"Make sure you do."_

_._

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you like you saved me. A-and I wish you'd come back. I-I'll be nice to Luke, I swear! Annabeth misses you. She wakes up in the night screaming. We're in the Hermes cabin at the moment. We haven't been claimed, even though we know we should be in the Athena one. Everyone there looks like Annabeth, blonde hair and grey eyes. I don't look like that… even where I 'belong' I'm a freak." Viv closed her eyes against the onslaught of memories. "I'm so scared!" she confided. "Annabeth's _changing_, she's growing quieter and I can see her aging before my eyes- and I don't know what do! She's becoming like me!..." Vivian laid a hand on the bark of the trees and let out a sigh, "I don't want her to be like me." She murmured. "I wish you were here. I wish you were here to tell me what to do. No matter how old I am… I'm still so _young_, and I c-c-can't let her become me. I'm so hard and cold, and there's a rumour going around camp that I'm a demon, and L-Luke's not helping; spreading rumours about h-how strange I am." She let out a soft sigh, resting her head on the trunk of the tree. "Please come back. Everyone hates me except for Annabeth, and she'll hate me soon, I just know it, and if she doesn't she'll be ostracised… like Luna. She reminds me so much of her. Sometimes she gets this distant look in her eyes, and I know she's thinking of you, because it's the same look Luna got every time I asked her about her mum. And it _hurts so much_… because Luna died. Did I tell you? R-Rodolphus got her. He sliced her to bits and I could only watch." There were tears running down Vivian's face and she furiously wiped them away. "I have to be strong, Thalia. I have to be strong, for her. I have to make sure that never happens to my sister, and that she's always safe. And even if I have to spend years training, I _won't_ give up." Vivian stood up determinedly, her back straight and her hands clenched into fists. But then she slumped, kissed her hand and touched it to the pine tree. "I can't." she whispered.

And she turned away.

Then, for a few moments, she could have sworn she heard a faint _'witchy'_ carried on the wind.

She looked behind her, half expecting to see the welcoming face of Thalia once again.

But there was no one there.


	10. King Ragnok the Bloodthirsty

**I know this is a little quick, and I'm only skimming over the training, but I want to get most f the background in here brefore getting to the good bits: I WILL GO OVER THE TRAINING IN MORE DETAIL!**

* * *

In Vivian's mind, to protect Annabeth, there was no doubt: she had to train.

And train she did.

She became colder and harder much to the distress of her sister: Annabeth. Vivian kept Chase as her fake surname though, and very few people knew they weren't actually related by blood, especially after they were both claimed by Athena. When Annabeth told people of her father (rather frostily), but Vivian refused to speak of her family, they assumed she'd had the worst relationship with their father. Annabeth and Vivian never bothered to correct them. Vivian may have grown distant, but she was always warmer to Annabeth. She also spent hours by the pine tree telling Thalia of her news and research.

After finding out that apparating could not escape of the camp boundaries, she researched new methods of transport. There was shadow shifting, which involved jumping from shadow to shadow, but it made the traveller feel nauseous and created a very loud sucking sound when landing, so was less than perfect. Then she discovered Smokering, which was her preferred choice. Smokering involved transforming into light blue smoke and floating away, fading into another destination as smoke, then becoming solid again. It also looked impressive, which was nice (Vivian had a hidden dramatic flair, although she would never admit it). It was certainly better than apparating, which looked like a bad attempt at a pirouette and had the unfortunate possibility of splinching. The only downside to smokering as well as shadowing, was that she couldn't shadow or smoke anyone else along with her, but she could only apparate her and one other, anyway. That meant that magical transportation was a one-person trip.

And it was smokering that she used to escape from camp to Diagon Alley where she decide to use the opportunity to visit Gringotts, to disown her parents before they could disown her. If she disowned them at least she could claim the money in her trust vault, which she doubted her parents had the brains to empty. If Hecate was to be believed, then there was she was a war coming, one between her and Voldemort. She was well aware that the goblins would be useful allies. It was better to be safe than sorry, and having goblins on her side was most definitely safe. But Viv was also aware that the goblins were famed for their hate of "wand carriers" (although she was technically a "staff carrier"), and so the best she could do was hope for a smidgeon of respect that she could build on. She was willing to bide her time. The goblins were proud and skilful warriors demanding respect, so it would be well worth her effort if she could gain at least one goblin's friendship.

She strode into Gringotts, projecting as much pure power as she could. Then the goblins did something that was unheard of. They all smiled and looked at little Vivian. Every witch or wizard in the bank followed their gaze to the bold little nine-year-old who declared confidently, "I wish to speak to someone about a disownment."

"I, Griphook, shall take you to King Ragnok right away," Griphook said reverently. Albus Dumbledore, who was in the bank that day, gasped. No human had ever met the feared King Ragnok. He himself had tried on numerous accounts. This little child's aura was practically throbbing with contained magic, mixed with a foreign energy that he didn't recognise, which appeared to be boosting her magic, which was very strong on its own. Dumbledore practically drooled at the thought of possessing this strange energy himself, and vowed to find out what it was and hopefully steal it from the girl. After all, she was weak and the lesser sex. She should bow to him, and willing surrender. He strode over to her, expecting when she saw him for her eyes to widen, but she just gave him the once-over and looked away casually, observing Griphook who was conversing with another goblin by a small door, inlaid with gold and gems. He tried the direct approach, laying a hand on her shoulder and, putting on his grandfatherly persona, said, "Now what's a little girl doing with the silly goblins when she should be with her parents." He laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. But then she reached up and removed it with strength that didn't match the image before him. She looked back at him with cold eyes, and growled, "Get your hands off me."

Vivian he was stewing with anger towards this meddlesome old man. He was definitely in her bad books, and he wasn't coming out. (Her bad books contained the names of her parents and brother, Albus Dumbledore and the Stoll brothers.) She remembered the day he had carelessly ignored her pleas, just patting her on the shoulder and strolling away after she had told him of the starving and isolation. She had even cried. And he had just watched. That _μπάσταρδος_.

"Now if you excuse me, I have an audience with the esteemed King Ragnok." And she slipped away towards the beckoning Griphook, leaving Dumbledore to deal with the shock of rejection.

Vivian walked down the corridor briskly, giving the portraits of famed goblins no more than a fleeting glance. They were all depicted in scenes of victory on a battlefield, as they should be. Two huge doors were pulled open, and Vivian walked in, standing stiffly. It was dark and Viv could only make out a shadow. Then the lanterns slowly began to glow with a warm yellow light that illuminated a goblin sitting on the floor with a chessboard: King Ragnok. He was smaller than any goblin she'd ever seen, but she didn't judge him for that. Viv had heard the tales of Ragnok the Bloodthirsty. Ragnok was seated on top of furs and pelts, one glowing pure white. The room was large and Vivian could see books for miles around. She felt thirsty at the thought of just a smidgeon of the knowledge contained in this room. She made her way towards the King and sat herself on the floor opposite him, with just the chessboard between them. Ragnok acknowledged her by bowing his head slightly, not taking his eyes off the chessboard. He appeared to be playing against himself. "Hello Vivian Potter, daughter of Athena." He moved a pawn forwards.

"How do you know this?" Vivian asked mildly. She wasn't threatened by the goblins, as they had no business with wizards and witches except for their gold.

"Goblin seers are more reliable than _wandcarrying_ ones," Ragnok sneered, "They can see the future, past and present." Vivian inclined her head, accepting the answer and watched a knight obliterate a pawn. Ragnok sighed, "Sacrifices must be made. A great wizarding war is coming. Voldemort is not dead, and your brother is not the one to defeat him." Ragnok waved a hand and Vivian's attention snapped to the left. An old tome, glowing a faint purple, began to hover through the air towards the pair seated at the table. The corner of Ragnok's mouth curled and he heaved the great book towards him. It was huge, and coated in a thick covering of dust. He blew across the cover, and slammed the book open to an old, slightly crumbling page. He read aloud the words of the prophecy and he power behind them caused a great feeling of triumph and anticipation tor rise up within her. When he finished the last line she was slightly out of breath. "I know this." She said slowly, breathing heavily, "But I thank you." However, she was curious about something; a subject that Hecate had always tried to avoid. "And if I choose not to fulfil them and save those who abandoned me for my worthless brother?" Vivian asked, tilting her head to the right and gazing at Ragnok.

"Then the war will spread to America and the mortal and godly world with be filled with death. And your sister will perish." Ragnok answered, not judging her for her question.

"Very well." Viv accepted, paling slightly at the thought of Annabeth dying.

"When the final battles comes, the goblins will too. We worship your mother. Wit and knowledge is important for goblins above all else, and you shall receive the same treatment. When the time comes for the last stand, you will know in your heart. Follow your instincts." He advised her.

"I shall."

"Now onto business." Ragnok finally set aside the chessboard whilst muttering under his breath, "I won and yet I lost. How often the outcome that is."

"I wish to disown my parents. I do not wish for their money, surname or anything. I want them to be my parents only by blood, and even then only that applies to my mother. They will have no claim to me."

Ragnok gave a cruel grin that sent a shiver down Vivian's spine. "I can do better than that. I can take the money from your trust vault and the heirlooms in the vault you are allowed to access through your current heirship, and I can donate them to any place of your choice."

Vivian gave a brief thought to donating it to Hogwarts, but remembered the hardship that she had suffered there, and changed her mind. Her mind cast her back to the day that she tagged along with her brother to collect her supplies for their first year at the magic school. She had been dragged into Knockturn Alley (her parents not even noticing when she let out a desperate scream) and been spun around. She had come face to face with a tall, towering man with yellowed teeth, brandishing a rusty knife, crusty with browned blood. Her heart had thumped, and she knew she was going to die… and then she didn't. Out of nowhere came a pale, thin hand that snapped the man's neck swiftly. His body crumpled to the floor, revealing a women standing there. She wasn't particularly beautiful, nor was she even remotely attractive. She didn't catch your eye like her mother did, with her flaming red hair and bright green eyes; she wasn't delicate and fine like the beautiful and blonde Mrs Malfoy; and she wasn't even a homely sort of pretty, like Mrs Weasleyu. This lady- this _vampire_, Viv realised- was thin and scraggly, with hollow cheek bones and sunken eyes. Her skin looked like old parchment and her eyes were a dull red. The lady was dressed in rags that fell of her shoulders limply and the material was filthy. She looked like the kind of person that Lily Potter had always assured her would someday come and eat her for being such a little worm. However, she didn't eat her. She took Vivian's chubby little hand in her own (for this was before the Potter had forbidden the house elves to feed Viv) and led her out of the alley with a kind alley. On their way back, they passed a dusty little shop with a cracked window and a shadowy door. It was hardly noticeable, and didn't stand out amongst the countless shops almost identical to it that lined the streets. Vivian wouldn't have given it a second thought if not for the wistful look that it received from the vampire. On a wooden board above the shop, spikey letters spelled out the words; 'BLOOD BANKS'. On the window was the painted message; 'Run out of funding_'_. It looked abandoned.

The vampire guided her the rest of the way out of Knockturn and took her to the brightly coloured street of Diagon Alley, ignoring the looks of disgust directed her way by almost everyone. Mothers even pulled their children over to the other side of the alley to avoid the so called 'dark creature'. The vampire gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, her wispy black hair tickling Viv's cheek and gently pushed her from her. When Vivian looked back, struggling against the wave of shoppers, the vampire was standing there, looking very much alone.

"Donate it to blood banks for vampires and inform them that they can sell the objects if they want."

"Good." Ragnok pushed a contract in front of her and ordered, "Sign." She read it through, and then did as he asked.

"Have you thought of getting a heritage test?" Ragnok grinned and Vivian looked at him confusedly, "Wouldn't any titles have been claimed by Lord and Lady Potter?"

"Not if you are a spiritual heir as I suspect you are. This is something that only friends or allies of goblins are offered. If very old lines die out, or did not have an heir in the first place, then a spiritual heir is found. The line searches out a witch or wizard that is compatible with the line, in soul and magic, and grants them the title of heir, along with all properties and monies. If this happens to a child, parents have no claim to the line, only the one chosen. It is rare, but it has happened before."

"How do I check?" Vivian leaned forwards. Ragnok waved a hand and the doors banged open. Two goblins marched in, carrying a large stone basin filled with crystal clear water between them. They set it down with a muffled 'thump!' and left the chamber just as swiftly. "Just dip your hand in," Ragnok requested. Vivian did so and Ragnok chanted something in what Vivian assumed was Gobbledegook, and scooped out some water in a stone goblet. "You may take your hand out now." As Vivian did, she watched as the goblin king spill a few drops of water onto the parchment. With every drop, words began to form on the paper, until they could be read. Ragnok placed the cup down and span the paper around so that Vivian could view it. It read;

_Vivian ?– _

_Emrys line (Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor)_

_Potter (disowned)_

Vivian looked at Ragnok expectantly, and Ragnok smiled genuinely at her. "Emrys; otherwise known as Merlin. Would you like to take this as your surname?" Vivian could only nod.

* * *

Vivian exited Gringotts a lot richer. After the shock, Ragnok had revealed to her that Merlin was the real owner of Hogwarts, but had let the founders use it after being impressed by their ambitions. He told her she could take control of the wards right now if she wanted (Dumbledore had them currently), but she decided to leave it where it was for the moment. It turned out Merlin had died a few years before Voldemort surfaced, and he had been living in disguise under different names, so he had quite a few investments. The Merlin vault contained billions of galleons and was growing every day. The founders had also left Merlin their vaults, on the agreement that he left Hogwarts as it was and gave a certain amount to the castle every year. The vaults contained even more than Merlin's one, but Dumbledore had been using the yearly allowance for his own personal needs. Vivian decided to simply let him get away with it until she was asked by Hecate to return to the wizarding world. She's need a plan anyway. Ragnok had told her he hoped they could be allies, and to apparate directly into his office whenever she wanted, and that she was free to read his books at any time. Vivian hadn't told him about smokering yet, but she would (although she suspected he already knew). And she'd bet the Merlin and Founders vaults had lots of dusty old tomes filled with valuable knowledge, like their journals. All in all: it was a happy Vivian Emrys who departed the bank that day.

* * *

**Slight Merlin BBC reference there...**

**I know a goblin friendly relationship is overdone, but I tried to do something different with it.**

**Anyway, she hasn't gained any sort of magical superpowers making her invincible from the merlin vault, just money, and Hogwarts, which will be very important later on!**

**And for anyone who wondered:**

**Μπάσταρδος- bastard in greek**

**(I know she doesn't speak it naturally, but I think she would have learned it, or at least a bit, so she wasn't at a disadvantage.)**


	11. The Schemes of Lily Potter

**Answering a question about why any of the campers didn't notice Viv's absence: Well, she spends half her time holed up in the library. Plus, it's a summer camp. There are loads of kids (don't know the exact number) and only a few supervisors. There are no lessons to miss (I don't think) and she probably misses half of the meals anyway, for training. Vivian's an antisocial person, she won't communicate or make friends, so no one except for Annabeth to really miss her. Also, there's a rumour going around that she's a demon. I think they'd be pretty glad to get rid of her for a few hours. Plus, no one saw her go, because she smokered.**

**Sorry guys, I haven't written much lately. I started a new fanfiction: 'A Whole New World', which is a Harry Potter Self-Insert if you want to go and check it out! (Please do!)**

**But to make up for it… here's a small morsel of Lily Potter's opinion.**

* * *

Lily Potter was completely aware of the fact that her son, Godric, was an utter brat.

She was also aware of the fact that her eldest was most likely dead and she really didn't care. Vivian Potter had been a thorn in her side from the day she showed up on her doorstep. She never wanted her, as she was a result of a bonding between Lily and an unknown _goddess _(Lily held homophobic views). Lily had been fully prepared to chuck her into some orphanage and be done with it. But somehow, the press got hold of the Potter's new child (it was believed that Lily had used a charm to hide her pregnancy in this time of war). At first, James was in love with the new child, but a few poisonous words whispered in his ear here and there… a few suspicious glances… and he had a hatred for the brat almost as deep as hers. But then the couple had been forced to go through with the blood adoption ritual, and treat the girl nicely because Britain's eyes were upon the Potter heir. But that Voldemort business had been a blessing in disguise because with all attention on the Boy-Who-Lived, Godric Potter, who would pay attention to his older, less important sister? And finally she was gone and Lily Potter was in the spotlight where she belonged.

And she wasn't going to let go of it any time soon.


	12. Training

Using a staff made of elder wood with core of thestral skin (shed and willing given) as her preferred weapon, she spent hours sparring with wooden figures animated by runes. She inserted retractable blades of celestial bronze into either end of her weapon and spent hours chiselling symbols into the wood; runes for strength and stamina, Greek prayers and Latin verses. Using the dusty and rare tomes found in the magical section of the library in the big white house, she discovered old magic, the type of magic that had been around since the dawn of time. Pure magic: that needed no words or actions to perform, just pure unadulterated belief and power. She didn't have nearly enough strength for most of it, but she committed as much as she could to memory, resolving to practise it later on.

She also learnt a small amount of martial arts, as much as she could without an instructor, although her form was often sloppy. For a year she pushed herself, preparing for the future battle that the goblins had warned her of.

_Her opponent lunged, the sword in his hand gleaming. Viv leaned back, her hair flying out behind her. However, she leaned too far and stumbled, giving her opposition time to take a stab. She widened her stance and brought her staff up to meet the sword, twisting her arm and causing the sword to fly out of her opponent's hand. Now weapon-less, the dummy kicked out at her legs, missing when Vivian jumped over them. She came down on one limb, snapping it like a twig. Her opponent fell to the floor and Vivian plunged her staff into its wooden chest._

_Suddenly, she felt a cold hand clasp around her throat. She coughed and scratched at it, but it didn't let go. She kicked wildly and managed to hit a leg, causing her attacker to buckle at the knee. She moved away from the second wooden figure that she'd forgotten about. Using the precious seconds she had before it righted itself, she gave a round house kick to its face and darted in closer, elbowing it in the nose. When it crumpled to the floor she smacked it around the back of the head, causing a loud CRACK to echo through the clearing._

_Doing a backflip, she infused her body with magic and landed on a third dummy's shoulders. With a quick motion, she snapped its neck and leapt off it, leaving it to fall onto its back._

_Vivian swayed slightly and sat down on the floor, massaging her throat. She knew the red finger marks would blossom into bruises, and winced at the worry she was going to receive from Annabeth. She tried to speak, but her throat was too sore and her limbs were slightly shaky. She took a deep breath and used her magic to sooth her throat, reducing the inflammation with a quick cooling spell._

* * *

Hecate watched on, her heart troubled. Her little champion had little rest and if she kept going like she was, she would never have social skills needed to live her life. She could try to persuade her to slow down, but Hecate doubted she would listen, and she certainly wouldn't open up to others. And so one day, she gave a little magical push in the right direction.

To a boy.

And then she watched on.

And smiled.


	13. Here Comes The Sun

**Sorry it's been a while guys, I lost inspiration. Is it ok with you if I do a sort of quick skim over the Percy Jackson books, sort of just include short scenes throughout the books including Vivy and how she'd change them, instead of doing them all the way through and completely? I'm really excited to get onto the Harry Potter stuff as that's where it starts to get exciting!**

**I thought Vivian needs some love! **

**Also, thumbs up to everyone who can spot the Doctor Who reference!**

* * *

Vivian Emrys (widely believed in camp to be Chase) walked into the library with a determined look on her face. The place was huge, and filled to the brim with dusty books, which caused the room to smell faintly musty. Instead of windows, there was just one glass dome in the ceiling, which directed rainbow beams of light onto the marble floor. Vivian could spot iron stairs that led up to a second level, where there were more books waiting to be discovered. She marched over to a ladder attached to the shelves and rubbed her hands together slowly. She had a job to do.

Vivian flicked through a book of old rituals and bonds. She needed to find a way to monitor Annabeth and make sure she was safe.

_Soul Bonds_

_When two magical soul mates touch, it initiates a bond, which is often identified by a golden glow surrounding the pair. The soul mates will then be able to communicate telepathically and feel the others emotions. The last recorded bonded pair was Gwen Redricks and Michael Boot, in 1824. Some suggest…_

_Magical Majority_

_When a powerful wizard or witch is born, it is theorized that their magic natural seals some of itself away, until their body and core is ready to receive it. Somewhere close to the wizard or witch's 17 or 18th birthday, the magic is freed and it is rumoured that a silver flash emits from the witch or wizard, so bright that it can be seen from space, and it judges every person in reach of that light. This may be a myth as a magical majority hasn't been seen for over 1000 years. There is debate if this actually…_

_Familial Bonds_

_It is possible to perform a ritual to bind family members to each other and allow the bonded to feel when the other is distressed. It is only rarely done as it requires absolute trust between the two, a blood bond and at least one of the two has to be extremely powerful. If they are not, the magical strain could feed off too much magic and cause the pair to fall into a coma or die. The ritual is only recorded in a few books, as it dates back to Grecian times…_

Vivian tapped the last page slowly and smiled. It was perfect. Now, all she had to do was train even harder so she could protect Annabeth when she was in trouble, and then perform the ritual.

Suddenly, she heard a book fall to the floor with a loud thump that echoed through the room. She slammed the book shut and looked up with narrowed eyes. She grasped the staff beside her and stood up slowly. She crept around the bookshelves and pressed herself flat against the wood. Perhaps it was one of the Hecate children. They weren't too fond of the fact that their mother had blessed another with more power than them (they didn't seem to understand genes) and often played cruel (and sometimes harmful) tricks on her, to prove themselves superior. Vivy wasn't _threatened_, in all honesty she was disappointed. The Hogwarts students had been much more devious and creative. Why, the Weasley twins had charmed Bludgers to chase her round for 3 hours, and recruited people to cast sticking spells at her shoes whenever they saw her sprinting through the corridors. She was also… disappointed that camp wasn't any different. No matter what happened, no matter what path she took, it seemed that she always came across horrible people with an agenda against her. However, she was not going to be a victim this time around, or wait for them to eventually turn on Annabeth like the Hogwarts students had with Luna. This time, she would fight back. And so last night she had snuck into their cabin, shaved off their hair, spelled their skin green and burnt every single one of their magic books. At the time it had felt good, they'd been tormenting her for 2 years, ever since she'd arrived, and she was certain they were going to move onto her sister. Now… it seemed like a rash move, sure only to bring vengeance crashing down upon her. _"I can take them."_ She thought calmingly to herself, but she couldn't deny that she was scared, her heart pounding in her head. There was only one of her and eight of them, and if they caught her…

Nearly smacking herself, she realised that she could use her magic to sense how many were there. Feeling out hesitantly, she sent thin tendrils of magic to seek out the intruders. Instead of the reasonably powerful and mature magic she expected to feel, multiplied at least three times, there was… nothing. Oh, there was someone there, but they had no magic. And strangest of all… this person was _happy_. Not mildly amused, not contented, not even uplifted, but completely and insanely_ happy_. She couldn't believe she hadn't felt it before. This happiness was like the sun, covering everything it touching in a golden light that embraced you with comforting warmth. It even made _her _feel better. Who was this person?

She peered around the corner, curiosity roused. What she saw made her blink, once, twice, and then a third time.

He was the brightest person she'd ever seen. He had golden blonde hair that practically _glowed_, perfectly even tanned skin, white shining teeth and a million dollar smile. "Merlin help me, I've gone native." She murmured quietly as she caught her last thought. Clearly she didn't speak quietly enough, for almost as soon as the cynical words left her mouth, his eyes met hers. And his eyes, Morgana, his eyes! They were like the calmest sea on the clearest day, every movement of his head caused his eyes to reflect the light and sparkle like the most perfect diamond.

"Hello!" he said, his voice like honey. He was around ten, like her. "I'm Collum Rind, son of Apollo! Everyone says you're a demon, but I think that's rather rude! I came to be your friend since you don't really have many of those, do you?" His bluntness caught her of guard and she managed to reply, rather coldly, "I have enough."

"Don't be ridiculous! You can never have enough friends!" he sang, and Merlin, he was so _joyous_! It was more than a little overwhelming, and she found herself stumbling back a little.

"Oh dear, have I dazzled you? Ever since dad blessed me, people have started to blink a lot. Did you know Apollo blessed me? He liked my poetry; especially the verse about the hedgehog." He took a deep breath and, before Viv could stop him, launched into verse:

_"Your spiny back_

_Protects you from foxes_

_But when I touch you_

_I get pricked._

"Inspired, isn't it? Dad certainly thought so! He came down personally to bless me and we wrote haikus together! I have some of them in my cabin! Would you like to see? Come on!" He grabbed her sleeve and began to drag her out of the library. Vivian was too stunned to protest.

* * *

Vivy wanted to bash her head in.

"_Paint dries on the wall_

_I watch it_

_It is done._" Collum finished yet another haiku. "Oo, oo! This one's a good one! Listen!"

In the last few hours Vivian had learned more about the son of Apollo than she'd ever wanted to know about _anyone_. She knew his favourite colour was yellow; favourite weather was sunny; favourite animal was a sheep; favourite food was omelettes; his mother died in childbirth and he lived in an orphanage until a year ago; most of his siblings were jealous of their father's favouritism although Maddie was nice to him; oh! And he liked cheese too!

Viv really wanted to leave, but for some strange reason, whenever she tried to leave, he'd just flash her one of his perfect smiles, and she'd sit down again reluctantly.

She checked her emotions over. Annoyance; check. Faint anger; check. …Happiness; check. …Embarrassment; check? And what was that final emotion? …Ah.

So… the begin of a childish crush.

Marvellous.


	14. Lakeside Friendship

**_Thank you every single one of you for your support! Your reviews and support his been overwhelming, although quite a few of you requested more regular updates. All I have to say is: I'M SO SORRY! I've gotten caught up in going onto the accounts of the people who have favourited and followed (and the numbers have been unbelievable!) Anyway, I've finally gotten down to write some Collum/Vivian friendship, and there'll be more coming in the future. I'm on the edge about pairing Vivian with anyone else later on... do you guys have any suggestions?_**

**_Leave a review to tell me!_**

* * *

**_1 year later…_**

"Go away Collum." Vivian said automatically as the door to the Athena cabin slammed open. She was flicking through her book, lying on her front on her bed, legs crossed in the air.

"You remember me!" He grinned enthusiastically.

"Of course I do. We met a year ago." She informed him flatly, and promptly went back to ignoring him.

"No! Don't ignore me!" he whined. "I made us a picnic!"

"N- hang on – where did you get the food?" Vivian asked curiously, letting her eyes flick up to meet his.

He smiled mischievously, and Vivian tried to control the stupid flutter of her heart. "I have my sources."

"Ah, Luke." She said, a little bitterness leaking into her voice. Then she returned her attention to the page. At least, that's what it looked like to him. In fact, she was watching Collum's face subtly. The waver of his sunny smile, the forced brightness in his eyes and the miniature creases on his forehead told her she had deduced correctly and she smirked to herself.

"No!" he tried to bluff, but a knowing smile from the red-haired demigod informed him that his ploy was useless. "Anyway, come on! It's sunny outside, and my father is clearly happy! So we should be too!"

"I am happy." Vivian defended, sitting up straight and focusing all of her attention on the son of Apollo. "I am perfectly happy reading my book!"

"No, you're not. You're content, not happy! Happiness is feeling as if you could lift up into the sky and fly away, like the sun is shining personally for you, like… you could write a really good haiku! Content is just… meh." He shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly and Vivian rolled her eyes. "I know what happiness is." She grumbled.

"I don't think you do." He told her seriously. Then he grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the cabin with a cheery (and slightly foreboding) "I'm going to show you!"

* * *

"I'm bored." Vivian told Collum flatly.

"Well do something then!" He told her. He was lying on the grass watching the sparkling lake with calm eyes. She might have noticed how cute he looked as the morning sun made his skin glow if she hadn't been eying the water suspiciously. To her, it looked as if the murky depths were bottomless, going on forever and ever, getting colder and colder… she shivered. Collum noticed her gesture and shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't believe you're afraid of water!"

"Well I can't believe a lot of things, mostly your impossible sunny disposition." She growled.

"That's harsh." He said, pouting slightly.

"I'm _so _sorry." She said sarcastically, playing with a strand of her hair. Collum shuffled himself over to sit next to her, and placed a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. He laid back on the grass and Vivian copied him, stretching out lazily. Her hair fanned out around her head like a scarlet halo. Vivian sighed and relaxed, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face. Feeling calm, she stretched out her magic, planning to exercise her control whilst Collum did her hair and sang to her. She knew he'd begin humming in a moment; he always did. Then her magic identified a distant signature. The sense of nature, woodland and enchiladas was familiar, and Vivian cracked open an eye to scowl at Collum. "Grover's back."

"Where?" Collum asked, his eyes searching for any sign of the satyr.

"He's in the woods, about three metres away, sitting in a tree." She murmured, closing her eyes once more.

"How can you be so… urg!? He's stalking you! It's creepy!" Collum complained, scanning the area surrounding them with an unusually dark glare.

"If I kill him, Annabeth will be upset." She said wearily, "They have a… friendship." She propped herself up on her elbows and ran a hand through her hair. "I still don't understand it."

"How can you not understand it? We're friends, aren't we?"

"…Are we?" she muttered.

"Of course we are!" He declared, jumping to his feet. "We're best friends!" He paused and looked at Viv's pained expression. "Haven't you had a friend before?"

"I did, but it wasn't a… conventional friendship." The red head stared into the distance, eyes unfocused. She could still remember comforting Luna after bullying sessions, washing her hair, teaching her lessons… it had been more like a mother/daughter relationship than anything. She had never… confided in Luna, trusted her to protect herself, or even thought of her as an… equal, she was ashamed to admit. It was hard to regard Luna as just as capable as herself, especially since she was two years younger.

"Let's play Frisbee!" Collum shouted suddenly, making Vivian jolt slightly, jumping to his feet.

"Ok," agreed Vivian vaguely, still lost in memories long since passed.

Which was why she screeched when she was grabbed the hand, dragged to her feet and tugged in the direction of the Apollo cabin. When Vivian gave Collum a questioning look, he offered, "I have to go and get it," as an explanation.

Although, she could have sworn she heard him mutter under his breath, _"…show that stupid goat."_

* * *

**Edit: I changed the way that Collum acts as I realise it was seriously creepy, and that's not what I'm trying to get at!**


	15. Sown Bullies

**OMG! 100 REVIEWS! I AM SO HAPPY! SO DARN HAPPY! Thank you sooo much to every SINGLE person who has reviewed, favourited and followed! Also, explaining the lesson in the camp: I haven't read the second series, so… bare with me! I imagine in my head that they'd have lessons when it isn't summer holidays, otherwise they'd all be illiterate. I know they're dyslexic and all, but surely they'd still be taught?**

* * *

**MARCH**

"Why don't you like Luke?" Collum asked Vivian one brisk March afternoon, after they'd got out of lessons. Vivian found lessons to be incredibly dull (except for Greek Mythology). After she'd gotten the language down to pat, she was stuck in a class full of dyslexic kids with a mature mind. It was slowly killing her brain cells, so she always appreciated Collum's conversation. This however, was a subject she was not glad to broach.

"I don't know what you mean." Viv said stiffly.

"Oh come on, you glare at him all the time, you're more frozen than a popsicle and whenever you see him, you give him hives!" He threw his hands in the air. "It's not exactly helping with trading. Although, I did get a _great_ deal the other day. Well, when I say deal…" Vivian glanced at his mischievous expression. Sometimes she swore he was the result of a union between Apollo and Hermes.

"Oh really?" she asked, hoping to distract him.

"Yeah," he said. "So come on! Why the hostility?" He questioned eagerly. She looked into his blue eyes, felt her heart stutter, and groaned. She could never keep anything from him.

"You know of my ability to sense magic and… signatures, yes?" Collum nodded. "Well, when I feel for Luke, I sense a… seed inside him."

Collum frowned, utterly bewildered. "A seed?"

"Of darkness. And no matter how I tend to it, it will grow. And most likely hurt Annabeth in the process." She furrowed her brow, the topic reminding her of how close Annabeth and Luke were getting. Even with Vivian's disapproval, Annabeth still chose to spend time with him. It was worrying.

"Treating him like dirt won't help."

"Perhaps not. But that won't stop me."

* * *

**SEPTEMBER**

Vivy concentrated on making her magic creep out through her fingers, into the earth of the flower meadow around her. Everything was utterly dead, so it was the perfect time to experiment. As she took a deep breath, she allowed her magic to dance along the surface and delve deep into the soft soil. As her magic searched through the crumbled ground, it grasped reluctant buds and pulled them up towards the surface. Concentrating on the air around her, she brought the temperature up until it was almost as hot as summer. She immediately felt sweaty and stifled in her thick winter coat and boots. The flowers burst through the soil with enthusiasm, sending a scattering of crumbly earth into Vivian's lap. She brushed it off and clambered to her feet, smiling slightly as she viewed the area around her, which was thick with flowers. It wasn't a very large area, granted, but it was quite impressive, especially in the dead of winter. She sighed with contentment and took off her coat, laying it on the floor and sitting herself down upon it. She let her head loll back, bathing her face in the warmth of the air around her. She felt her energy slowly draining, but it was barely noticeable. She felt a happiness bloom inside her, giving her a glow that had nothing to do with the increased temperature. She was growing stronger.

"Vian!" she cocked her head at the sound, recognising Collum's voice. What was he doing here? He had Remedial English. She voiced her question, and heard him wince slightly.

"They were calling you an emotionless… b**** again." He explained defensively. "So I punched them."

"You need to control your emotions more." She chided harshly. Collum was a very passionate person, and his feeling often got the better than him. "I don't need anyone to protect me."

"But you don't fight back!" he complained with all the outrage of an adolescent boy. "How is it supposed to stop if you just let them hurt you?"

"What's the point?" She asked wearily, fingering a wilting flower. "What am I supposed to do to get it to stop? There's no point anyway. If I retaliate, it'll just get worse." She spoke with the heavy voice of someone with experience, and all the while her head was filled with echoes of _'Snake! Murderer! Evil! Outcast! Loser! You want it to stop? No one will ever want you , you freak!'_

"I don't like seeing you hurt." Collum protested, laying his head on her shoulder.

It occurred to neither of them to ask an adult for aid.

* * *

**NOVEMBER**

"Annie?" Vivian called, entering the quiet cabin. The only sound was the low rustling of pages turning. "Sister?" She ventured over to the corner, where her blond-haired sibling could be located. "I didn't see you at dinner." She murmured, sitting herself on the bed. Annabeth only grunted in reply, tucking her hair behind her ear. As she did so, a flash of purple caught her eye. With strong fingers she pulled Annabeth's face towards her, her eyes widening as she took in the tender bruise decorating her delicate cheek.

"Who did this?" Viv asked dangerously low, her eyes narrowed in fury.

"It's nothing." Annabeth mumbled, wrenching her face from her sister's grasp. "Just some stupid joke."

"This isn't a joke Annie! This is serious! They hurt you!"

"What, like they hurt you?!"

The room grew cold.

"That's completely different." Viv retorted frostily. "I can look after myself."

"No you can't! You just take it all, and act like nothing's wrong! Something is wrong, and you don't do anything about it!" Annie screamed, her eyes growing watery. The two sisters stared at each other, both panting hugely. Then Annabeth burst into tears and threw herself into Vivian's arms. The discarded book fell to the floor with an unnoticed thump!

"Sh, sh, sh," Vivian rocked Annabeth back and forth, hushing her gently. "What happened?"

"I-it was the Hecates kids. T-they cornered me, and-and-" Annabeth sobbed even harder.

"It's okay Annie, I'm here. Why did they do it?"

"T-they said I should be p-punished for having such a f-freaky sister."

Vivian carried on rocking her little sister back and forth in her arms gently, but her eyes were cold and hard as flint.

_-"They hurt her!" Vivian screeched. "My little sister!"_

_"I'm sure they didn't mean it to go that far!" Hecate tried futilely to sooth the enraged Demi-witch, but she was a storm that would not be calmed._

_"I'll kill them!" She promised, hair crackling. "Every single one-"_

_"Please! Be reasonable-"_

If every eight members of the Hecate brood sported identical marks on their cheeks (and numerous elsewhere) the next morning, neither Hecate nor Annabeth nor Vivian ever mentioned it again.


	16. Mom Issues

**DECEMBER 22nd**

Vivian walked into the Olympus throne room, her face stoic. Annabeth was practically vibrating with excitement next to her. "We're going to meet mom!" She squeaked, trying to keep her voice down. Viv merely nodded and kept her gaze straight ahead. She wasn't all that fond of Athena, any mother who could watch her child neglected, bullied and then killed without even showing up afterwards was _not_ the kind of person she wanted Annabeth to be associating with. She was, however, looking forward to seeing Hecate.

"My children!" A loud and commanding voice echoed through the throne room, and Vivian looked around. There, striding briskly towards them, was her mother. She had long and curly dark hair with intense grey eyes. She looked a lot like Annabeth, as they had the same cheek bones and build. "My children!" She swept Annabeth and Vivian into a hug, a slightly stiff one, but a hug all the same. Vivian stiffened, but when she looked at Annabeth, her little sister had relaxed into the embrace and was nestling her face into Athena's shoulder. Athena drew back and cupped Vivian's cheeks with her hands. "You are a good sister." She told her warmly.

"You are a terrible mother." She said frostily, casting her mind back to every insult, every lonely night, every curse…

"Yes, but it all worked out in the end though, didn't it?" Athena's smile was slightly forced, but it brightened when she turned to Annabeth. "My dear daughter. I have a present for you." She held out a cap, a black one, too a smiling Annabeth who grasped it eagerly and hugged it too her chest. Viv could feel the magic emanating from the unassuming item, and her eyes widened slightly.

"It's allows the wearer to turn invisible." Her mother told her with a small smile. Vivian replied with an uncomfortable nod. Perhaps it was childish, but she was angry at Athena… whilst still disappointed that she hadn't gotten a gift. She understood that Annabeth was perhaps the favourite (and she could hardly say that she had been expecting different), but it still… hurt.

"I haven't forgotten about you." Athena reassured the redhead, producing a ring out of nowhere. It was beautiful; thick and gold with elegant runes inscribed into the metal. "It has the same effect as a disillusionment charm. It will save you from being… drained." Vivian raised her eyebrows in disbelief at the idea of a _goddess _using a common mortal charm, although she did take the gift and place it in her pocket.

"Oh, we have our own brand of magic. However, I do keep up with wizarding affairs. I _am_ the Goddess of Wisdom." Vivian could hear the arrogance oozing out of her every word, and it reminding her a little of Harry, her brother. It was not a nice comparison to make.

"If you_ really_ kept up with wizarding affairs, I assume you know of my… treatment." Vivian said carefully, choosing her words with caution. Athena's expression immediately steeled and her jaw squared. "Annabeth, run along and play." She dismissed.

"I am not a child!" The blonde girl complained, as one tends to do when one is 11.

"Oh really?" snapped Viv. "Your Barney the Dinosaur pyjamas suggest otherwise."

"They were a gift from Grover." Annabeth muttered stubbornly under her breath as she stomped off to go and talk with some of the nymphs.

"That reminds me." Athena scowled, once Annabeth was out of earshot. "I don't like the way that satyr acts around you."

"That makes two of us."

"I don't like that Collum boy either."

"Well," the temperature immediately dropped, and a hush fell upon the room. "That we disagree on."

"Your friendship is unsuitable." Athena declared, resolution colouring her statement.

"Leaving your daughter with a neglectful family is unsuitable." Vivian replied bitingly.

"There are laws against interfering." Athena said unapologetically, although there was a hint of guilt in her eyes.

"Only, they don't seem to apply to Annabeth." Vivian knew that was a low blow, but she was bitter over the fact that Athena had led _Annabeth_ away from _her_ family, but not done the same for Viv.

"You are a spoilt brat." Athena hissed.

"A lifetime of emotional abuse says otherwise." Vivian retorted, her voice shaking with quiet fury.

"Maybe you should have stayed with your family if they caused you to _keep your tongue_." Athena's voice was booming with power now and almost everyone as looked at them, save Apollo, who was gazing into the air and mouthing some sort of obscene verse. Vivian reeled back as if slapped, her mouth open in a shocked 'o'. "Where is Hecate?" She demanded unsteadily after a few moments of complete silence.

"I asked her to stay away so I could bond with you." Athena admitted.

"So you kept away one of the only people I care for, so you could play your silly little 'perfect family' games?"

"I was under the foolish misconception that our first meeting would go better than this."

"It didn't." Vivian growled. She spun on her heel and stalked out of the throne room, her hands shaking with silent anger. She marched down the path, storming past multiple temples. Some were huge and grand towering masterpieces, and some were modest little buildings, only distinguished by a few simple patterns. She didn't slow down until she came across a river. The glittering of the water caught her off-guard and she stopped beside it. A shiver ran down her spine as she stared into those merciless depths. They went down and down and down, and if she fell she would be pulled under… icy hands gripping her ankles… and the constricting of her lungs as they gasped for air… She was pulled out of her trance by a warm hand clutching her cold one. She looked down into the slate eyes of her younger sister and was surprised to see understanding beyond her years reflecting in those orbs. Sometimes, it was easy to forget that Annabeth was just a year younger than her, what with the way she depended on her.

"Are you mad?" Annabeth's innocent voice pierced her thoughts.

"No Annie. Not at you." Viv said tiredly. Annabeth nodded slowly and grinned, dragging Vivian down to sit beside her on the river bank. Vivian gave a suspicious glance towards the water and Annabeth followed it. "Why are you scared of water Vivy?"

Vivian hesitated. "You know my parents weren't very nice?" Annie nodded enthusiastically. "Well, they were also very rich. Still are, I suppose. And they used to go fishing with my brother on their private lake. And it was so _peaceful_ on that lake. I used to watch them set out, every Saturday afternoon with a picnic and wish that I was going too. And one day they let me come. And I was so happy…" Vivian's eyes were unfocused as she stared across the gently moving river. "But as soon as they got to the middle of the lake, Lily asked me to get the picnic basket from the other side of the boat. So I stood up. But the boat was unsteady and it wobbled and I fell in. And then the boat rowed away, carrying my laughing parents and family. I nearly drowned." Vivian glanced down to see Annabeth stared at her with huge, horrified eyes. Viv rushed to reassure her. "I don't think they didn't know I could swim. Everyone else could… I'd just never had the chance to learn. Still can't, and I don't think I'll be learning any time soon..." she gave a harsh laugh and then sighed. "Come on, let's get back to the meeting." She clambered to her feet, helping Annabeth up afterwards.

"Vivy." Annabeth reached out a snagged her sister's sleeve, stopping her in her tracks. "Is mom a bad person?" Vivian turned around, deflated, and then dropped to her knees. She took each of Annabeth's hands in her own and pulled them up to her chest. "No Annie. She's not. She's just… not human. And you shouldn't ever forget that. They don't have the same understanding of hurt... and pain that we do. They... can be prideful and manipulative. She's not a particularly_ good_ person, but she loves us. You can be sure of that. Just don't trust her to always look out for our best interests."

* * *

Luke looked around him nervously. The Gods were all preoccupied, and Annie and Vivian were talking to their mom. His heart leapt as he focused his gaze on the blonde. She was so _open_ and trusting and strong… But then the demon put her arm around her shoulders, and his eyes hardened. She'd always been so cold and disdaining… Well. He would prove her wrong. He would do something _amazing_, and every sneer and poisonous word whispered in _his _Annabeth's ear would be wiped away. He just had to steal that bolt.

He didn't notice the narrowed green eyes following him as he crept away.


	17. The New Boy

**JUNE**

Vivian rolled her eyes at her friend. "Collum, I'm pretty sure Max can't freeze people with a single glare. That's a basilisk."

"Or Medusa. And apparently she's his long-lost son." He whispered, looking around nervously as if the boy (or his 'mother') was going to jump out of nowhere and slaughter them all for speaking his name.

"He's a son of Ares. I doubt Medusa and the god of war got 'down and dirty'." There was a rumble of thunder from above that Vivian ignored. She had always been afraid of insulting authority figures in her last life, but she wasn't going to be so timid this time. "Where did you here this anyway?"

"There's a rumour going 'round…"

"You mean you heard it in the Hermes cabin." She said flatly.

"It could be true, Vian!" He protested.

"It's not. Clarisse would have told me, anyway."

"I forgot about your new 'best friend'." Collum grumbled.

"Yes, it appears you did." She replied, oblivious to his obvious jealously. Vivian looked around the camp, searching for the child of Ares. She spotted her talking to Annabeth and… a new boy? She strode over to the trio, Collum trailing behind. Vivian nodded courteously to the three girls hovered behind Clarisse, "Lucy, Megan, Rue."

The three girls replied with short jerks of their heads and Clarisse spun around to face Viv. A smile broke across her face as she laid eyes on the daughter of Athena, and she pulled her into a strong hug. "Viv!"

"Hello Clarisse. Who's this?" She asked, uncomfortably patting Clarisse's back.

"I was just talking to pri-" she paused after spotting Vivian's glare "I mean, Annabeth about this new kid. He has a bit of an attitude problem."

"Don't listen to her! Look Vivy, he's new. He killed a minotaur." She said simply as if it explained everything. Vivian raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. "He could be _the one_." Annabeth waved her hands for emphasis. The boy looked pleasantly surprised at Annabeth's words.

"His name is?..."

"Percy Jackson." The boy cut in, looking indignant. "I don't like it when people talk about me like I'm not there."

Vivian could sympathize with that, having experienced it most of her lifetime, but that didn't detract from the fact that she did not like this boy _at all_. It wasn't a sense she got, in fact, the only bad thing that she could tell about him was his ridiculous amount of loyalty (and his unfortunate resemblance to her half-brother), but this could be the boy who could dragged Annabeth off on a dangerous quest where she could very well be killed. Clarisse seemed to sense her dislike and looked thrilled. "I was just taking him for his initiation."

Annabeth looked panicked ("Vivian!") but her sister merely looked at her apathetically. "Please! You're not making a good first impression!"

The boy looked confused. "Er, Annabeth? Who is this?"

"Vivian Chase. My sister. Sister, meet Percy Jackson, undetermined." Annabeth practically growled , her frustration evident.

"And the guy behind her?" Percy pointed to Collum, who was looking almost as worried as Annabeth.

"Collum Rind. Her boyfrie-"

"Friend." Vivian corrected, although Collum looked disappointed. "Now, about that initiation - Clarisse, would you do the honours?"

"Sure thing Viv!" The daughter of Ares enthused. Annabeth looked defeated as she took the minotaur horn from the dark-haired boy, although she glared at Vivian all the while. Vivian merely watched coolly on while Clarisse dragged Percy, kicking and punching, towards the girl's loos. She stood next to her sister by a wall (covered in ugly graffiti like _'M+F' _and '_Aphrodite's Cabin SUX!_'), but Annabeth resolutely ignored her, all of her attention focused on the new boy. Collum stood in the doorway, biting his lip anxiously.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material." Clarisse crowed, pushing him towards on one of the toilets. "The Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking." Lucy and Megan giggled, although Rue looked uncertain. Clarisse bent him over the toilet bowl and started pushing him towards the water, her fingers tangled in his shaggy hair. Vivian began to feel a little guilt, his desperate breathing and struggles reminding her of all the times that _she_ had tried to get way from relentless bullies, but she ruthlessly pushed the feeling away. She had to protect Annabeth.

Suddenly, there was a rumbling in the pipes and the toilet bowl began to shake. It was only Vivian's quick reflexes that allowed her to bring up a shield in time to protect Annabeth and herself from the huge spray of smelly water that hit Clarisse right in the face. She, and her gang, were soaked. So was Collum, who immediately sprinted off to try and fix his hair and change (Let it never be said that he wasn't vain.) Clarisse bellowed in anger and humiliation and spun on her heel, marching out of the bathroom towards the Ares cabin, determinedly ignoring the ringing laughter following her. Lucy, Megan and Rue followed. Annabeth was watching a shocked Percy Jackson with wide eyes. "How did you…"

"I think it's fairly obvious Annie." Vivian scoffed, keeping her eyes trained on the boy. "Now go and wait outside."

"But-"

"Go!"

And Annabeth did (reluctantly and with a lot of grumbling).

As soon as she was out of sight, Vivian descended on the shaking boy, anger and trepidation clouding her senses. "You will hurt Annabeth and I will not allow that. If she gets even the slightest scratch on a ridiculous quest, I will kill you. Even being a son of Poseidon will not save you."

Then she stalked out, leaving Percy on his own in a dripping bathroom. To his surprise, there was a ripple in the air beside him, and Annabeth appeared, pulling a hat off her head. "Come on." She said. "I'll show you around some more."

If Vivian had known what Annabeth was thinking in those few moments, she might have cried.

_'Gods, she's so much like our mom.'_


	18. Little Blondes Leave

**I have no experience with self-harming or anorexia, so please don't be offended if I get it all wrong!**

* * *

**JUNE**

"I'm going on a quest."

Vivian very nearly choked on her juice. "WHAT?"

"With Percy." She confirmed.

"Merlin, I am going to kill him!" Vivian stood up, hand already reaching for the staff.

"Wait! Stop!" Annabeth snatched the piece of wood away and clutched it to her chest. "Don't hurt him!"

"Why? He's taking you away on some crazy quest where you could get hurt, or taken away! You could get hurt just like Luna-!" Vivian clasped a hand to her mouth. She had said too much. She tried to backtrack. "Just like-"

"I know what you said. Who's Luna?" Annabeth demanded hotly. "You keep comparing her to me, and you even call me that sometimes, and I asked Collum, but he just said you were grieving and confused! Who are you grieving!?"

Vivian sighed heavily, and Annabeth thought her eyes looked for a moment like Chiron's; so old and tired. She took her hand and led her gently down to the Athena cabin. She pulled open the door and glared at her siblings, who were all seated around a table and playing some kind of war-based board game. "Out!" She demanded.

"But-" Kieran stood up, looking outraged at the fact that their game had been so rudely interrupted.

"C'mon, out!" Malcolm called, herding the grumbling brothers and sisters out of the room, winking at Annabeth and Vivian.

"Sometimes, I find it hard to believe that I'm Head Councillor." Vivian muttered mutinously, waving her hand and conjuring up a few more cushions. There weren't as many as she'd like, but she couldn't produce many more whilst Annabeth still had possession of her staff.

"You have to earn their respect. The only reason you're 'in charge' is because you're the eldest and you've lived here the longer. If there was a vote on popularity alone, Malcolm would win."

"I don't need popularity." Viv defended, crossed her arms stubbornly, although Annabeth still saw the flash of hurt in her eyes.

"If Collum was the only one voting though…" Annabeth gave her a conspiring elbow and a suggestive eyebrow wriggle in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Don't be ridiculous Annabeth. Why would Collum vote in an Athena Cabin affair?" she scoffed, although Annabeth noticed the light red dusting her cheeks.

"Sister, who's Luna?" Annabeth asked hesitantly, grabbing a pillow and hugging it to her chest. Vivian's staff lay forgotten on the floor.

"Luna was… someone I knew before I met you, Annie. She was, well, my sister in all but blood I suppose. Although I treated her more like my daughter, really. Her mother had died when she was little and she had no other females to look after her. Her father was… distant." She remembered Xenophilius Lovegood clearly, all the times he called Luna by her mother's name; 'Selene' or tried to climb into her bed at night, mistaking her for his dead wife. Luckily it had never gone further than that and by the time second year came, Luna had learned locking spells to put on her door. "So, I became her friend. I was bullied, quite seriously and because Luna was always by my side – she was a little queer too, not her fault – she was picked on too. It became more serious… and Luna almost died. She was cornered and I wasn't there, to protect her. Her father finally came to his senses and they moved to America."

"We could find her now!" Annabeth announced, excited by the idea. "I'm sure we could track them down with one of your spells!"

"She was killed by… terrorists, a few months later. Her father ran a propaganda newspaper that went against the group's beliefs; he published it in England. They found him and killed them both. Quite messily, actually. The pictures were…" Vivian trailed over, her expression haunted.

"She was so young." Annabeth whispered, finding it hard to believe that anyone could be so cruel to a six or seven year old girl.

"Yes, she was." Vivian admitted, her mind bringing up images of a sixteen year old Luna, laughing about nargles and twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

"What we she like?" Annabeth asked, hungry to know more about this girl that had affected her sister so deeply.

"Strange, the girls used to call her 'Loony Lovegood'. She was a little vague, quite blunt and rather quiet and timid. Oh, but she was _beautiful_, Annabeth. _Gentle_ and _kind _and _stubborn_ and so… _wonderfully _bizarre. She wasn't afraid to be your friend no matter what others thought and she had a way of looking past masks to see the _real_ you. She had some... trouble with herself though…"

* * *

_"Luna what are you doing!" Vivian shouted as she unlocked the bathroom door with a quickly muttered word and ran inside. Luna was knelt by the toilet bowl, retching weakly. Vivian looked over her bony shoulder and saw a watery puke splattered on the inside of the toilet. _

_"Oh Luna." She said, and helped her up. "Come on, I'll get you cleaned up. You can't do this. You're killing yourself."_

_"I have to," Luna protested faintly." I'm such a freak. I have to be fixed." She let out a half sob-half cough and buried her face in Vivian's shoulder. _

_"Who said that?" Vivian asked gently. "Was it Chang again?"_

_Luna didn't reply but the way that her shaking grew more violent at the name said all._

_"My mouth tastes horrid." Luna whined, stumbling over to the sinks and leaning on trembling arms. Luna stared at her own sunken, pale face and groaned, sinking to the floor and wrapping her arms around her legs. Vivian gazed in her at her friend. The action stretched out her arms and it was obvious that the little blonde's arms had no fat at all, and were made up entirely of bone, a little muscle and skin. _

_"You're so thin." She breathed._

_"I know." Luna laughed bitterly. "Isn't it wonderful?"_

_"No!" Vivian shook her head violently and crouched down in front of Luna. "It's not right. Hurting yourself doesn't make the pain stop."_

_"How would you know?" Luna's grey eyes filled with tears and a few droplets dribbled down her cheeks. Vivian drew back her sleeve and Luna let out a muffled gasp s she took in the dozen or so scars littering Vivian's arm. "I did them myself." Vivian admitted with a wry smile, face twisted in self-disappointment. "A few years ago."_

_"Why?" _

_"I thought it wold make it all… stop. Just make the constant welling inside my chest go away. And it worked. But it made it numb and it came back! It doesn't make it go away. You just feel disgusted with yourself and then you hurt again and it doesn't end!"_

_"Is that all of them?" Luna's voice shook, made all more evident by the echo in the draughty bathroom._

_"I made the rest go away." Vivian shrugged._

_"Why didn't you do the same to these ones?" Luna traced the white lines with a skeletal finger._

_"They're a reminder."_

_"Of what?"_

_"Strength."_

_The next day, Vivian had held Luna's hair whilst she puked._

_The next month, she didn't have to._

* * *

"Did you love her?" Annabeth asked, her voice breaking the almost scared silence that had fallen in the cabin.

"Yes."

"More than me?"

"…I don't know."

"I'm going, you know."

"I know."

"I'll be careful."

"I know."

"I love you."

"Me too."

"I'll come home."

"I hope so." Vivian whispered, her voice loud in the emptiness of the cabin where she sat, alone.


	19. First Year Manipulations

**I'm really churning out the chapters! The next one may take a while though, so be warned!**

* * *

Vivian fisted Annabeth's shroud in her hands and felt the tears threatening to well up, though she viciously pushed them down. "She's not dead." She told herself. "She promised she'd come back." To any stranger watching, Vivian would've seemed cold-hearted and cruel; impassively string at the thing which would be burned to signify her sister's death. To anyone who _truly _knew her, it would have been apparent that she was at her most vulnerable. She had been cracked open and dashed on the sidewalks.

Which was why, through the turmoil and guilt, Luke smirked in the darkness of the forest.

Although, he lost his smirk when Vivian's face lit up at a jubilant cry of "They're back!"

* * *

"Who was it?" Vivian asked, watching a weak Percy Jackson struggle to sit up.

"Luke." He coughed, collapsing back onto the bed sheets.

Vivian nodded shortly, stood up, and left.

* * *

**JUNE 21st **

Albus Dumbledore was troubled. As he watched the carriages roll away down the cobbled road, he ran his fingers through his thick white beard. "He's not what I expected." He mused, his mind conjuring up an image of the black-haired, green-eyed Boy-Who-Lived. He was a little chubby, and constantly had his nose scrunched up in a most unpleasant manner, as if there was a foul smell beneath it. He was certainly arrogant, and valued his own life far too much for the Headmaster's liking. "But I can mould him." There was a disapproving squawk from behind him and then another, and the old man's brow wrinkled in irritation. His knuckles turned white as he clenched the front of his golden chair in an effort to keep himself from exploding. He closed his eyes and let the reassuring magic of Hogwarts wash over him, the overwhelming power sinking deep into his bones and making him feel like a young 'un again. He was at peace; his mind distracted from all thoughts of unwinding plots and failed manipulations.

Until the phoenix shrieked again.

"ENOUGH!" He roared, bringing his wand around to send a blast of fire at the firebird, missing narrowly and scorching the portrait next to its perch (the fellow in the painting jumped out of his chair in indignation and cried "I say, old thing!") Although, in retrospect, it probably wouldn't have hurt the darn thing even if the spell _had_ hit its mark. "You infuriating bird! You're not worth the trouble it took to bind you!" The creature had the nerve to glare as him, as if to say _'Well let me go then.' _

"Oh no," Dumbledore chuckled darkly. "You _will_ improve my image, or Merlin help me I will _kill_ you."

Fawkes turned his head away and hid his beak under his wing in shame. He could see the man's core, pulsating with darkness. He could tell that it had once been good, but years in absolute power had corrupted and tarnished his pureness. It was disgusting. He lifted his head and gazed at the old man, black eyes mournful and pitying.

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Dumbledore snapped, plopping himself down into his chair with a brooding look on his face. One of the silver pipes next to him puffed out smoke which formed the words _Diagon Alley_ in shaky letters. It was the Potter parent's monitoring instrument. They must be going to for the autographing signing session they had scheduled. Would they bump into Gilderoy? He would be important in making sure the boy was more ignorant and easily manipulated, but he didn't want them meeting too soon. Even a boy as idiotic as Godric might see through the flamboyant wizard's lies. Then again, he had the whole of the female population in the palm of his hand. Dumbledore chuckled as he recalled what he had found in Gilderoy's mind. As long as he was discrete and cleaned up after himself, Dumbledore saw no need to interfere with Lockhart's extracurricular… activities.

Dumbledore drew open a draw in his desk and took out a page. He had a huge collection of pages monitoring almost every witch or wizard in Britain. The pages just needed to saturate in their magic for seven years (a Hogwart's career, coincidently) and then they would work for the rest of their lives (provided they stayed inside the borders of England). He smoothing the crumpled parchment, adjusted his half-moon glasses (that were a damn pain to wear, but he did anyway, for they made him appear more mysterious and grandfatherly all at once) and read:

_Gilderoy Lockhart_

_Status: Half Blood_

A lot of useless information and then… ah ha! Here it was:

_Location:_ _28 Rune Crossing – Living room, armchair_

No chance of a meeting yet, then. Marvellous.

Focusing his mind on the problem at hand, Dumbledore leaned back and surveyed the chessboard in front of him, the pieces so old they were said to have belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. Now how could he fix this situation? _The first year hadn't gone to plan…_

He'd put his perfect 'team' together. A hero-worshipping sidekick to give the boy confidence and comic relief (of course, Ronald Weasley was under his control – Gringotts accounts did such wonders), a brainy member (unfortunately the cleverest student in the year was a _girl_, goodness knows how that happened) but pumpkin juice laced with a loyalty potion and a mild love potion (as a reward for Mr Weasley later on, let it never be said that he didn't treat his pets well) had sorted out the issue with her dislike for the two boys. It had been irritating that the boys hadn't rushed to rescue Miss Granger from the troll, even with assured prompting from the Patil girl. However, planted memories made sure they _thought_ they had, and Granger was quite indebted to them. Or so she thought.

The rest of his plans hadn't gone quite as well. He had practically laid the pieces out for the children and that _stupid_ boy had ignored them! A subtle compulsion spell on Draco Malfoy to invite him for a duel (Dumbledore never underestimated the power of male testosterone), an anonymous hint left for Filch to lead them to the Cerberus. (It wasn't the real Cerberus, just a branch of the species. Apparently it had mated with a Rottweiler or something). They hadn't even investigated! He'd had to leave a plan concerning the teacher's plans of 'protection' out in a corridor where the trio was walking, and have it practically _follow_ them. Granger had found it suspicious, but he'd carefully removed that notion from her pliable mind. Then Godric (with a little nudging from Ronald) had put all the pieces together, worked out the danger… And done nothing! Apparently his self-preservation instincts were much too high. He could alter that magically, but he didn't want to damage his soul _too_ early on…

Hm, maybe something a little more personal next year; Ronald had a sister, didn't he? And Mr Malfoy a diary? Excellent.


End file.
